


Chat et Souris (Cat and Mouse)

by MoonDiva21590 (orphan_account)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-02-09 19:50:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18644938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/MoonDiva21590
Summary: Marinette finally gets the courage to tell Adrien how she feels! But later after she's rejected by him, Chat discovers who's under his partner's mask, and feel's terrible about the guilt that overcomes him. But what will they both do when Ladybug's Miraculous is stolen?





	1. Awkward Encounters (Sunday Night)

**Author's Note:**

> So, I got bored with my other stories and decided it was time to make Marichat happen. So here you go! The same day I started writing this, I met a black cat with green eyes, no joke. His name is Salem and I’m was writing this with him and mind. Also, I got the idea from a friend to switch points of view (POV) when writing. I’m doing that except writing what each character feels from the third person. But there are occasional scenes where I’m writing more than one characters’ perspectives. By the way, pretend no one knows Chloe is Queen Bee. Happy reading~!

Marinette’s POV  
“I’m finally going to do it Tikki!” said Marinette.  
“Are you sure? You’re actually going to tell him?” she asked with surprise.  
“Yes, I’m really going to do it!” she told her with confidence.  
“I’m so proud of you!” Tikki said, flitting up to Marinette’s nose. They were talking together in Marinette’s bedroom, planning what she would say to Adrien as her confession to him. She decided it was time to tell him how she felt about him.  
When they settled on exactly what she would say, she wrote it down on paper and memorized it for the rest of the night. She couldn’t afford to let herself stutter or mess up on her words in this conversation.  
After some studying for a test on Monday, she turned her light off and crawled into bed. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t fall asleep. She tossed and turned, but failed in her efforts to rest.  
What if he likes someone else? she thought.  
Tikki noticed how restless she was and said,  
“Are you okay Marinette? It’s okay if your nervous, you can talk to me about it.” Marinette sighed and sat up.  
“Could you lend me your powers for a little bit? Maybe a stroll outside will help me cool down a bit,” she asked her kwami.  
“Just say the words.” her kwami told her. Marinette nodded and said,  
“Tikki, spots on.” She transformed and opened the hatch to her balcony. She walked over to the bars at the edge of the building and sighed. She grasped her yo-yo, took a deep breath and exhaled then threw her yo-yo to a streetlight and swung herself to the Eiffel Tower. Little did she know, a certain black cat happened to be heading there as well.

Chat Noir + Ladybug’s POV  
Chat Noir was going to the Eiffel Tower like he did every other night. He caught a bright red figure swinging by that he could recognize from anywhere. He wondered if she was on patrol and snuck off from his usual route to follow her a street behind so he could stay out of sight.  
After about 5 minutes of following her, he realized she was going to the Eiffel Tower too, just from a different direction. While following her, Chat noticed her head turn his direction, but she didn’t really seem to notice him. He continued his sneaking around and hid behind the wall to the highest part of the Eiffel Tower when she arrived. He observed as she went over to the ledge to sit down behind the bars and watch the cars pass by below. He watched her intently while still wondering what she was doing here. He knew she wouldn’t have gone to the Eiffel Tower if she was just on patrol. For a long time, he just stared at her while she observed the city below. He decided it was high time he showed himself. “M’lady? What brings you here?” he said. She didn’t turn around. She replied saying,  
“I was about to ask you the same thing Chat. Why did you follow me here?” He managed to conceal his surprise at her noticing this and said,  
“I go here sometimes to think. I was wondering if you were on patrol so I could join you but I followed you here instead. Are you feline fine, bugaboo?”  
“Well, I came here to think too. I’m nervous about something tomorrow and I just want it to go well. I don’t know what I’ll do if he says no…”  
“What do you mean ‘if he says no’?” he asked.  
“My crush. I’m going to try and confess to him tomorrow and I’m scared he will reject me. I don’t what I’ll say to him if he can’t return my feelings.”  
An imaginary dagger stabbed him in the heart as it did when she told him she liked someone else the first time. It was then that Chat decided that if he couldn’t be with her himself, he would at least try to be as good a friend as possible. He walked over to where she was standing and said,  
“Look, if he does reject you, he never deserved you in the first place. Besides, you’re sweet, amazing, heroic and gorgeous. How could he not like you back?”  
“You’re not angry?” she asked.  
“Why would I be angry?” he said confused.  
“Umm, well I thought that you might have had a thing for me...” she said shrugging her shoulders.  
“I do. But I can’t force you to like anyone, and I won’t try to. If he does say yes... I’ll get over it.” he said, jealousy lacing his voice as he looked away. Ladybug stared in shock at his open confession. She was annoyed at herself for knowing that she could never confess to Adrien like that, especially if she knew he liked someone else. She felt sorry for Chat while thinking about this. But why did he like someone as un-special as her anyways? At least the real her. Ladybug was something special to the rest of Paris. Even Chloe Bourgeois.  
“Thank you for understanding Chat. But if you actually do like me, then please consider this,” she sighed, “I think you’re loving a mistake. The real me is such a klutz, I am always late for school and I can’t even talk to the guy I like without stuttering. The real me is a coward and nothing like Ladybug. That’s why I think he probably won’t like me back as my normal self. The person you know is a completely different side of me Chat.” she said looking down. Chat was shocked. After some thought he said,  
“M’lady, as soon as I fell for you, I swore to myself I would love the girl behind the mask no matter who she was. The real you is the same person as Ladybug. So when Ladybug saves Paris, it’s the girl behind the mask doing all those great things. Not just that part of you.” She looked behind herself to make eye contact with Chat. He held his hand out for her to get up. She took it and hugged him as she stood up.  
“Thank you, kitty. That really means a lot.” Chat felt a blush creeping up his neck but hugged her back.  
“D-don’t mention it,” he said. He felt butterflies in his stomach when he touched her and never wanted to let go, but he didn’t resist when she pulled away. He made himself push the feeling away.  
Get yourself together, Adrien! She likes someone else. You're her friend. he thought.  
“Feeling better now?” he asked while resisting the urge to give her a goofy grin. He smiled softly instead.  
“I’m alright now,” she told him. He went to the part of the ledge she was at before and took in the view of the city. He came every night but didn’t bother to look at the city lights, he mainly gazed at the sky. It was beautiful.  
“So you said you come here often?” Ladybug asked while walking up next to him.  
“Oh yeah, almost every night on school breaks. I only stay for a short time though,” he explained.  
“Yeah, but why?” When she said this, his cat ears drooped and he said,  
“My mother would watch the sunset here every day. I used to come with her. But she’s sort of... gone.” Her breath caught when he said this and she felt so bad for asking.  
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault you didn’t know,” he said with his head down, cat-ears flat against his head.  
“Is it okay for me to ask what happened to her?” she said cautiously.  
“Well, I actually don’t know what happened to her. She just, well, disappeared. No one knows where she went.” he said sadly.  
“I know someone who is in a similar situation. He would probably be able to relate to you.”  
“Really? Who?”  
“Just a friend of mine, he looks a lot like you actually. I’m not supposed to tell you who it is though. You know, identity stuff.  
“Oh, right.”  
Silence.  
“So what do you do for a hobby?” he asked. They had been fighting for years, but never got the chance to really know each other. Chat wanted to get to know her while he could, he mightn't have the chance someday.  
“I sketch designs for clothes.”  
“I have a friend who does that too. She once won a designing contest for Gabriel Agreste. She’s really good.”  
“Umm, she did what?”  
“Won a contest.”  
“Uhh, could you tell me more about her?” she said nervously.  
“Sure, if you tell me about that guy.”  
“Fine.”  
“Her name is Marinette. She is this girl who has hair just like yours and blue eyes. I suspect she is a big fan of yours since she has the same hairstyle.” (I know I’m the one writing this but, why is he so freaking oblivious!?)  
“Oh umm, M-Marinette you said?” she croaked. He said, “Just a friend of mine.” Does he know me in real life?! She thought.  
“Yeah. Are you okay?” he said.  
“I’m alright… so the guy I was talking about is Adrien Agreste. His mother disappeared a long time ago.”  
“Adrien? Oh, so you must be one of my- I MEAN, his friends.”  
“I don’t think I should say anything else…” said Ladybug.  
They both thought in their heads, Crap, I hope he/she didn’t just figure me out! They both just stared at each other awkwardly for a minute.  
“Well, I should probably go now!” Ladybug said while nervously twiddling with her fingers.  
“Yeah me too!” Chat said quickly. They both swiftly left the tower and went back to their homes to sleep.


	2. A Broken Heart (Monday Morning)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pretty sure you can tell what's going to happen by the title.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, lovelies.<3 Hope you are enjoying the story so far. This chapter might be a little sad in the beginning, but please bear with me, there is more good storyline coming your way!

Marinette/Tikki’s POV  
“Wake up Marinette! Today’s the day!” Tikki said excitedly.  
“Five more minutes…” she groaned into her pillow. Tikki pulled her covers off and said,  
“Marinette, you said you would tell him in the morning remember? You can’t be late for school or you will miss your chance!” Tikki warned. Marinette sat up and dashed out of her bed.  
“I totally forgot! Sorry, Tikki!” said Marinette. Tikki and giggled and said,  
“What would you do without me?”  
“Well for one, I wouldn’t be Ladybug, and two, I would probably miss school every day!” she told her kwami. She went straight to her closet and started panicking.  
“Tikki, I didn’t even plan my outfit! I was too caught up in chit-chatting with Chat Noir that I went to sleep as soon as I got home. Tikki, help!”  
“Calm down Marinette! You’re already awake early so just chillax and find something that matches.” Marinette heeded her words and wore her trademark pink pants, floral short and black cardigan that she designed herself. She didn’t want to look too desperate so normal clothes were probably the best choice. She quickly got dressed and ran downstairs for breakfast.  
“Sweetie, school starts in 30 minutes. Are you actually going to stop being late now?” her mother asked. She was used to her daughter running out the door 5 minutes past her first bell.  
“No promises. I’m doing something important today and I can’t miss it. If I do, I probably will keep procrastinating and never get it done.”  
“Well, it must be really urgent if you're awake this early.”  
“Actually, it’s super important!”  
“What is it?” Before she could answer her question Marinette was in the kitchen making a bowl of cereal. She lapped up her cereal and drank her extra milk. After brushing her teeth and putting her hair in pigtails, she packed her bag and grabbed her lunch so she could leave. She kissed her mom and dad goodbye and left the bakery. She saw from across the street that she was just on time. A white limousine was dropping off the object of her affection by the sidewalk of her school. She forced herself to take a deep breath and crossed the street. By the time she got to the other side, Adrien was already waiting at the door with his friend Nino for the first bell. Alya was beside him. She ran up to the group and they all looked her direction and stared awkwardly. They too were used to seeing Marinette coming to school late.  
“Who are you and where did you put Marinette?” Alya asked. Marinette laughed.  
“Don't worry Marinette isn't going anywhere. I’ll explain to you later. Umm, A-Adrien?” she said nervously.  
“What’s up?” he asked casually.  
“Stood I- I mean, could I talk to you in private?”  
“Sure,” he said simply.  
They went to the other side of the school, about 12 feet away from where Nino and Alya were waiting  
“Is there something wrong?” he asked her.  
“Oh, umm… well, I just have something to tell you,” she said rubbing her neck nervously.  
“Go ahead.”  
“Well, do you remember when you gave me your umbrella on the second day of school?”  
“Yeah? What about it? I don’t mind if you keep it.”  
“Well, I guess it’s okay if you don’t return my feelings but, ever since that day, I’ve had a crush on you. I always loved how kind you were to others. You really stood out to me that way and I just wanted to let you know. Sorry, if… you know, if it’s a little sudden and all…” In response to her confession, his eyes widened in surprise and he bit his lower lip. He put a hand to his neck and looked away as if he were ashamed of himself.  
“Marinette, I… I really don’t want to hurt you but, I like someone else. We can still be friends, but I… I’m really sorry,” he said. Mari was visibly choking back tears.  
“It’s okay Adrien. You don’t have to apologize for your feelings.” she croaked. Before he could say anything else, she scurried off, holding in tears. She ran inside behind the building and let herself sob. Tikki flew out but didn’t say anything, for she knew why she was rejected. Tikki had yet to know how Chat Noir would confront her when she found out that Ladybug was rejected. But something else was bugging her, Adrien could make the connection between her and Ladybug if he found out that they were rejected on the same day. From about 20 feet away she spotted a black butterfly flying toward them.  
“Marinette look out!” Tikki cried. Marinette was too busy sobbing to notice her. As a last resort, Tikki flew toward the butterfly and tried to ward it off with her lucky-charm which like Plagg’s power, was only used in emergencies. She threw a tiny paw in the air and said, “Lucky Charm!” then a pink bubble of light appeared from her hand and burst into tiny sparkles that flew to the akuma. The butterfly staggered back a and began to crumble a little, but it was still active. It dropped to the ground and Tikki said,  
“Stay positive Marinette! The akuma is weak but it can still akumatize you. Marinette looked up and wiped her tears away. She forced herself to think about as many positive things as possible. She repeated Chat Noir’s words from the night before to herself, If he does reject you, he never deserved you in the first place. Besides, you’re sweet amazing heroic and gorgeous. At this, the akuma flew away, limp from Tikki’s superpower. Tikki flew back to her owner and said,  
“Please be careful Marinette. Are you okay?”  
“I’m fine. Thank you, Tikki. I didn’t even see the akuma coming.” said Marinette. She brought Tikki to her cheek so she could nuzzle her. She checked the time on her phone and read that the bell was in ten minutes. She got up and walked back to the front of the school. Her cheeks were still wet so she wiped them with her sleeve, hoping her eyes weren’t red enough for anyone to notice. She slipped into the school building and went inside the girls' locker room, which led to the bathroom. (The school unlocks it’s doors about 20 minutes before school begins so students can put their stuff away and wait for their friends to come.) When Marinette was in the bathroom she walked over to a sink and washed her face. She dried her face by patting it with some paper towels. Then she looked into the mirror and made herself take a deep breath. Besides, you’re sweet amazing heroic and gorgeous. How could he not like you back? I don’t know how he couldn’t Chat, but if all of that is true then someone else will see me for those things. she replied to him in her imagination. She reminded herself that the bell would be ringing soon, and she left the bathroom to go to her locker. She put her backpack inside and turned around to see, the one and only, Chloe Bourgeois. Nope, not today. I am not in the mood to deal with her! Chloe looked at Sabrina, who was by her side as always.  
“Ugh! Ew, Sabrina, it’s looking at me,” she said with fake disgust.  
“She wouldn’t be looking at you if you didn’t go to her locker, Chloe.” Marinette heard Alya say. Adrien and Nino were standing next to her. Chloe was at a loss of what to do. "Ugh, whatever. We're not finished Marinette," she said with a glare. She flipped her hair and walked away with Sabrina. Everyone else who was watching them went back to what they were doing. Adrien put a hand on Marinette’s shoulder and said,  
“Are you alright?”  
Marienette lifted her own hand to take his hand off her shoulder and looked at him from the side. She said,  
“I’m fine. Thanks for helping me guys.”  
“Anytime girl,” said Alya with a confused look. Nino nodded, even though he didn’t do much. Alya was surprised by Marinette’s behavior toward Adrien. The bell rang and they all went to class.

“What is going on with you two?” said Alya.  
“I’ll tell you about it later. Let’s do our work,” said Marinette, avoiding her question. She took out the macarons she and Alya would share in the morning sometimes and she lent her one. Marinette ate half a macaron and got back to writing the essay they had to do this week. That was the only assignment they were supposed to be doing this class period, so after Marinette finished the rough draft of her essay, she read a book to keep her mind off of the conversation she had with Adrien before school. If it weren’t for Tikki and what Chat had told her the night before, she would be wreaking havoc on the city right now, and Ladybug wouldn’t be able to help. She gave Tikki the rest of her macaron by slipping it into her handbag as a silent “Thank you.” and went back to reading her book. Around ten minutes later, the bell rang and Marinette forced herself to give Adrien a pained smile as she made eye contact with him on her way out the door. She quickly walked to her locker and Alya followed. She still had to tell her about what happened. When they were at the locker room Alya said,  
“Girl, what happened with you and Adrien? You never act like that around him.”  
“Alya, this isn’t a good time. Can I just call you after school to talk about it?”  
“Fine, but no later than that.”  
“Thanks. Let’s get back to class.”

Adrien’s POV  
After school…  
“You have really done it this time boy!” his kwami said with a teasing voice.  
“Shut up, Plagg,” Adrien replied. He flopped onto his bed, not knowing what else to do. He really regretted what he told Marinette this morning, but what else was he supposed to say to her? He still liked Ladybug, but even though she'd rejected him, he couldn’t use one of his best friends as a rebound.  
“You should at least go check on her,” Plagg said.  
“She definitely won’t want to see me,” he said. He thought for a little bit. “but what about my alter ego?” he asked.  
“I suppose that’s alright. Just be careful because your father knows you’re home from school.” Plagg answered.  
“I will. Plagg, claws out!” said Adrien. He was transformed and he clicked his baton’s screen open. It was 5:00. He got home from school at 4:45. His father usually has him playing the piano when he’s finished with his homework, so he turned his music player on and set it on the playlist he created especially for this sort of situation. He set the volume and hopped out the window. He had seen Marinette as Chat Noir before and went to her home because of akumas, but he had only been there a few times out of combat. He could pretend he was on patrol and decided to take a detour. Or maybe he could say the smell of croissants was too tempting? He wasn’t sure. By the time he got to his friend's bakery, he was still not sure what excuse to give her for coming, or how to ask to come in. He figured the one about being on patrol and taking a detour was best. And maybe he could score some croissants too if he was lucky. Heck, he didn’t know if she would even let him in. When he was finally ready, he knocked on her balcony's window.

Marinette’s POV  
A few minutes prior to Chat’s visit…  
Mari was sitting on her bed, below the hatch to her balcony. She took her phone out to call Alya as promised. Adrien was the last person she wanted to think about right now, but maybe she would feel better if she told Alya about it. Tikki was munching on cookies on her desk. She opened her contacts, clicked on Alya’s number, and let the phone dial.  
“Hey, Mari!” said Alya.  
“Hey. I can tell you about what happened this morning now.” Marinette said sadly.  
“Spill.”  
“I told Adrien how I feel about him.”  
“You did what? Oh my god, that’s amazing! You actually told him?”  
“And he rejected me.”  
Silence.  
“Anyhow, I’m over it. I think. Can we talk about something else now?” said Marinette.  
“Anything to distract you, honey. But I’m coming over after I finish my homework, no excuses.”  
“Okay,” she answered quietly. They talked about some other things for a while, the worst and best teachers at school, how hard the lockers were to open, Chloe, and other problems they could complain about. But after around ten minutes of talking, Marinette heard a tapping noise on her balcony’s hatch. She looked above her and saw her black masked partner. What on earth is he doing here? she thought. Her eyebrows furrowed and she said,  
“Alya, my mom’s calling me downstairs. Can I talk to you when you come over?”  
“Sure thing. See you later,” she replied.  
“Bye,” said Marinette. She pressed the “end call” button. She scooted over on her bed and unlocked her balcony window so Chat could come inside. He climbed in and sat down. Marinette was so used to seeing the black-clad superhero that she had to pretend to be surprised. She said,  
“What are you doing here? Do you need help with an akuma again?”  
“No, I was on patrol and remembered that your friend Adrien wanted me to check on you after what happened.”  
“You know him?”  
“We’re good friends actually.”  
“Why do I not believe you?” she said skeptically.  
“You don’t have to believe me, but you can ask me anything about him and I can give the right answer.”  
“What instrument does he play outside of school?”  
“Piano.”  
“What foreign language does he know?”  
“He knows several. Morse code and Chinese.”  
“I didn’t know he knew morse code. What’s his favorite color?”  
“Green.”  
“Dogs or cats?”  
“Dogs.” (He could almost hear Plagg swearing at him for this, but he really was a dog person.)  
“Okay, I believe you. What did he send you here for again?”  
“To check on you. We can talk about what happened if you want.”  
“Oh, right.” She looked away from him. “I don’t really want to talk about him right now,” she said quietly.  
“That’s fine. But is there anything I can do to make you feel better?” His cat ears drooped a little.  
“I don’t know. But, now that you’re here, can I get you some croissants?” His cat ears perked up again.  
“That would be fantastic!” he said with a grin.  
“Okay, I’ll be right back. Stay out of sight, kitty!” she warned. She didn’t wait to gauge his reaction on what she just called him, because she was already climbing down the stairs to her room.

Chat Noir’s POV  
Chat froze and didn’t move. She had called him “kitty”. But only Ladybug called him that. That was like seeing another guy calling Ladybug his lady. He felt anger bubble up inside his gut. What gives her the right to call me what Ladybug would? Does she think she’s some superhero like me? He thought. He usually never had these kinds of thoughts about his sweet classmate, but he was irritated at her for doing what his partner would have done in a conversation like this. But he did as she said and hid in her closet in case anyone came in. Maybe she was just calling him that because she was being nice or silly. He really hoped that was the case. He erased the angry butterflies in his stomach and took a deep breath.  
He had already noticed the pictures of himself as a civilian in her room before, but he also saw that half of them were gone. She's taking them down. Was I just her celebrity crush? No, she liked me for my kindness, that’s what she said to me this morning. he thought. He heard the hatch to her room open and the smell of croissants wafted through the room. His mouth watered. His irritation about Ladybug’s nickname for him would have to wait. He peeked out the closet and saw that only Marinette was there. He came out and grabbed a croissant off the platter next to her. He scarfed it down before she could even look at him. She turned around and said with her brows furrowed,  
“Do they feed you at home? I don’t want to be mean but your acting like you’ve been half starved.”  
“Not really. Sorry if I came off that way,” he said with his mouth full. She looked up at him with a worried look. His father had forced him to go on a diet for modeling. He was given very small portions. So he ate any food he managed to get in costume. He was becoming unnerved by how worried Marinette looked when she looked at him though. It was unfamiliar for someone like her to even be worried about him. She was a civilian, and him, a superhero. Why would she be worried?  
“I’m just on a diet my father made me go on, so I get any extrs food I can.” he explained.  
“Father? Why so formal?” she asked.  
“That’s just what I have always called him. I use a formal title because ‘Dad’ is too casual for the type of job he has.” he stuffed another croissant in his mouth as he said this. “These are delicious by the way. Can I come back here sometime?”  
“I guess. Just stay out of sight. We don’t want the media finding out you come here.”  
“I’ll be careful. By the way, you called me ‘kitty’ earlier. I would appreciate it if you didn’t do that. It's a me and Ladybug thing. Sort of like how I call her ‘m’lady.”  
“Oh, shoot. I did? Sorry.” she said as she hit herself on the head.  
“Don’t stress over it. The baked goods are enough of an apology,” he said. He was about to grab his third croissant as he realized Marinette was reaching for the last one as well. Their hands bumped each others’.  
“Sorry!” they said at the same time.  
“It’s okay you can have it. I’ve had plenty,” said Chat as they made eye contact. She nodded and took the last croissant off the platter. She took a bite out of it and chewed gratefully. Chat had no idea why he was watching her eat. He turned abrubtly and went back up the stairs to her balcony to think. He sat down on one of the stairs Is it weird that she reminds me of Ladybug? She called me the nickname only she has for me, they have the same hair color and pig-tails, and her eyes…  
“So how do you and Ladybug get your powers?” asked Marinette.  
She wouldn’t have asked me that if she was Ladybug, right?  
“Oh, well uhh… I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about how the Miraculous work,” he responded.  
“I see.”  
“I know how it feels to be rejected. But it’s still okay if you don’t want to talk about him.”  
“You do?”  
“Ladybug has rejected me several times, but we still save Paris every day. Her friendship means everything to me,” he said repeating what he told Ladybug when they had their rooftop dinner a long time ago (The episode where they fought Glaciator). Marinette was looking up at him meaningfully as he said this, but he didn’t realize it. She cleared her throat and said,  
“I could say the same for me and Adrien. So you still haven’t given up on her?”  
“I know she’s in love with another boy, but I don’t think I’ll ever get over her,” he said frowning. He had no idea he was contradicting what he had told Ladybug last night in Marinette’s perspective.  
“Oh,” she said.  
Silence.  
“I’m sorry about you and Ladybug,” Marinette said.  
“Why are you apologizing?” he asked. Just as he said this, a muffled voice said,  
“Marinette, Alya’s here!”  
Chat said,  
“I suppose that's my cue. See you later princess!” and he climbed out of her room through the balcony window.

Marinette’s POV  
Marinette wasn’t the least bit surprised Chat had just given her the nickname “princess” due to his flirty nature. It was weird to not dismiss him by saying “Bye kitty!” like she would if she was Ladybug. She waved at him as he climbed out her balcony window and he was gone a few seconds later. Marinette hid the croissant-less platter under her sheets and waited for Alya to come out the attic door. The attic door opened and Alya climbed in her room.

Alya’s POV  
Marinette has never acted the way she did when she was with Adrien today. Now that she knew why, she was coming to visit Marinette to console her. Her mother had let her in promptly after hearing her excuse for being there. She had told her that she was coming to help her with homework. She wasn’t sure about whether or not Mari wanted her parents to know about this yet, so a fake excuse was likely the best choice. She climbed up the stairs to Marinette’s room and opened the attic door. When she was inside, she saw her best friend sulking on her desk chair. She closed the door behind her.  
“Details. ASAP. I need to know exactly what he said to you and what happened afterward. My shoulder is here if you want to cry on it.” said Alya patting her shoulder. Marinette did exactly what Alya had suggested. Alya's words had burst the dam of self-control that had been allowing her to keep her cool all day. She sobbed all the tears she was holding in. Alya rubbed her back and shushed her like a baby. She guided her to standing up and lead her to the chaise in her room to sit down. Alya sat with her as she teared up. She rubbed her back and hugged her and shushed her and kept going until she calmed down. Alya got up to get the tissue box. She brought it to the chaise and took a tissue out to dab her eyes and dry her cheeks. She was still sniffling but after Alya had gotten her a glass of water and Mari washed her face, she was ready to talk.  
“I was up late last night preparing my confession to him, I wrote down what I would say and memorized it so I wouldn’t stutter. When I told him how I felt this morning, he said he liked someone else and I cried in the back of the school. I was almost akumatized. But I was able to think about good things and resisted it.” she explained. Alya was enraged. He had hurt her precious friend! She said,  
“You resisted an akuma?! What did he say to you? Oh, he is in so much trouble-!”  
“Alya, all he said was that he was sorry and he liked someone else. I was almost akumatized because of me. He never did anything to make me feel bad. Don’t try and get back at him for something he never did.”  
“Fine, I won’t bother him. But you were able to resist an akuma? You are so optimistic! I thought it was impossible to resist those things.”  
“I was almost akumatized before, I always bring a certain person to mind when I feel bad, and no, it’s not Adrien.”  
“Then who?” she asked confused.  
“Uhh, I’m afraid I can’t say. But they are always complimenting me and they are really supportive. I trust them with my everything.”  
“That’s real friendship. Too bad you can’t tell me about them. Did the person pass or something?”  
“I’m not supposed to say anything about them. Sorry.”  
“Okay…” she said puzzled. Is it family business or something? I guess I shouldn’t pry.  
“Thank you for coming Alya. You really helped me to feel better by coming over.” Mari said. She hugged her.  
“Anything for you girl.” she said. Alya hugged her back.  
A weird cackle was heard outside the window. Alya and Marinette looked at each other and ran to Mari’s window. Alya brought the blinds up and Mari opened the window. They saw a man floating in the air. He was in a siren-red, skin-tight suit with blue trim. He had a thick yellow bracelet made of plastic on his left arm and was cackling as he used a blue and gold striped wand to set an empty vehicle on fire.  
“Get downstairs!” Alya cried.  
“No! I mean… meet me down there and warn my parents.” Marinette said. Alya nodded and ran to the hatch that leads to the outside of her room. She ran downstairs and called Marinette’s parents.

Marinette’s/Ladybug’s POV  
Marinette saw Tikki fly out of her hiding place as soon as Alya left the room. Tikki flew to her and said,  
“Let’s go! Paris needs saving!” Marinette nodded in acknowledgment and said, “Tikki, spots on!” as she swiped her left hand upward on her earring. Tikki was sucked into her earrings and she did her transformation poses with the twinkling tune of her theme song as her suit covered her. She finished it off with her trademark Ladybug pose, her feet a slight distance apart with her arms out on her sides, elbows bent. The fierce pose mimicked the determined look in her eyes. She knew the villain was already outside, but she couldn’t just walk out of the Dupain-Cheng Bakery without anyone getting suspicious. She would have to leave her home more discreetly. Why didn’t I leave the house before transforming? She then remembered that there was a window in the living room that lead to a concealed side of the building outside. But her parents and Alya would have to be out of the room. She opened her trap door ever so slightly, and her heart skipped a beat when she heard her mom asking Alya where Marinette was. She tried to ignore their conversation so she could focus and got an idea. She whisper-yelled, saying,  
“Mom, Dad, Alya! Come to my room I need your help!” They all looked up and stood up from where they were sitting to go toward the stairs to her room. Ladybug quickly got up to take the empty croissant platter out from under her sheets and put it on her chaise. Then she hid by going behind a coat rack, where she put her fabrics. The fabrics were cut long enough to cover her whole body. Her parents emerged from the attic door and went over to the chaise to investigate the empty croissant platter. She saw Alya wasn’t with them but refocused to the task at hand. Ladybug quickly unveiled herself from the fabrics while her parents' backs were turned and ducked under the already-open door to her room. She quickly ran over to the living room window and pried it open. She slipped through the window and closed it gently.  
“I’m so sorry Mom and Dad,” she said under her breath. When the window was tightly shut, she ran out the alleyway and was out just in time to see Alya recording the scene outside on her phone. Of course, filming for the Ladyblog. “I am Inferno, and soon you Parisians will be nothing but ashes on the ground!” the villain announced. A few buildings around her were ablaze and she could only hope her Lucky Charm’s restoration brought lives back. A hopeless feeling settled in her gut as she realized that some people may have already been killed by this akuma. Luckily, she already knew where the akuma was. Definitely in the yellow bracelet. But how will I get close to him without being burnt? And where is that cat? I need to get him closer to a water source so he won’t have anything to destroy… I’ll lead him to the Seine River while I wait for Chat to show up.  
Luckily, the Seine was already a hop, skip, and a jump away from her bakery. She called the akuma saying,  
“You're on fire! Mind if I get something to put it out? Oh who am I kidding, I couldn’t care less if you're on fire.” she said with a taunting laugh. Just as she said this, her black-clad hero came bonding out on all fours by the roof she was on.  
“It’s purr-ty hot out here! Or maybe that’s just you m’lady.” Chat said with a wink in her direction. Ladybug just sighed at his flirting, and said,  
“We need to lead him to the Seine where he can’t put anything on fire. Just taunt him more so he’ll follow us.”  
“Of course m’lady,” he said with a bow. He jumped to a roof closer to Inferno and yelled,  
“As fire as I know, your fifteen minutes of flame is over!”  
Inferno grunted angrily and said,  
“You just wait kitten! Soon you’ll just be a pile of ash, and so will the rest of the city! Then no one will mourn for you!”  
“You can go ahead and try!” he said running backward. Inferno followed him while furiously throwing flames at him with his wand and Chat dodged easily. He kept going until him and Ladybug reached the Seine River and they kept fighting inferno there.

Time skip cause we all know that this is just filler. And like you, and don’t want it to take too long.

Chat Noir’s POV  
“Miraculous Ladybug!” they shouted in unison.  
“This cat has got to go. I need to check on a friend.”  
“Marinette right?” Ladybug said.  
“Umm, how did you know?”  
“I have my ways. Marinette and I know each other,” she said with an awkward tone.  
“She doesn't know your identity does she?”  
“Of course not! I’m not that silly. I just was going to let you know that she has a friend over right now, so you probably shouldn’t go over there.”  
“I think you're lying about being friends with her. But I’ll take your word for it.” Chat said.  
“I can tell you anything about her if you don’t believe me.” she challenged.  
“What’s her favorite color?”  
“Pink.”  
“What did she give Adrien when practicing for the Mecha Strike 3 competition?”  
“A pink string of beads and Adrien gave her one on her birthday.”  
“Then you also know that she is really good at Mecha Strike.”  
“I guess you know her pretty well too. Yes, I knew that.”  
“Her hobby?”  
“Designing clothes.”  
“Fine, I believe you. See you on patrol tonight.”  
“Bug out!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally ship Chat and the croissants. Come on, who's with me? #Adrissaint  
> Is that the official name for the ship? Agh, whatever.
> 
> Do you like the story so far? Please give me your feedback on how I can improve!


	3. Lost Jewels (Monday night, Tuesday morning)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, lovelies! Thank you to everyone who has supported me thus far, whether it was by leaving kudos, comments, by bookmarking, or simply by reading the story.  
> Happy reading everyone~!

Marinette’s POV  
“There is no way he would know all of that about me if he was just any random citizen in the city. Chat Noir probably knows me in real life. I didn’t tell him that much about me when he came to my house earlier today.” Marinette said to her kwami. She had to leave for patrol in 10 minutes.  
“I know who he is, but you would never believe me if I told you.” Tikki said with a muffled giggle.  
“Tikki do you think he goes to my school?”  
“I think a lot of things Marinette, but you know I am not allowed to confirm that theory.” she said.  
“Alright, I get it. Let’s head out early, I don’t have much else to do. Tikki, spots on!”  
Her magic suit crawled onto her skin, and she jumped out her window. Her parents were already asleep, so it didn't matter that she left early. She flung herself to her and Chat’s usual meeting place. The roof of Francoise Dupont High School. Chat Noir was already there.  
“Hey, kitty! You’re here early.” Ladybug said.  
“So are you. How did it go?” he asked.  
“How did what go?”  
“Your confession to you-know-who.”  
“Voldemort? What was I confessing to him?” she joked.  
Chat laughed.  
“I was talking about the mystery man. You know, your crush?”  
“Oh.” her mouth snapped shut.  
“Go on.” he said expectantly.  
“I- umm.” she stammered. That’s when it occurred to her that he knew Marinette got rejected today. If he knew that Ladybug was rejected too, he would probably get suspicious of her identity. Especially after the “I’m friends with Marinette” conversation.  
“It didn’t go so great.” she said finally.  
“What do you mean? Did you even get to tell him?”  
“No, I just don’t want to get into the details that’s all.” she said with a nervous laugh.  
“Okay…” he said carrying out the O.  
“Let’s just get to patrol. I’ll take the left.”  
“Alright then.” he obliged. They both took off in their assigned directions and kept an eye on the city, watching out for muggers, burglars, etc.

Chat’s POV  
His hunch was correct. He just didn’t want to believe it because it was too perfect. Innocent, kind Marinette being the most famous superhero in Paris. If she actually was Marinette, then it would make sense that she wouldn’t want to talk about how it went. Besides, all the proof was there. She knew the names of all his classmates when they fought Horrificator, Marinette wore a pair of black earrings the same size and shape of Ladybugs. How did he not see the similarities earlier? Just for more proof, he went to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery balcony to see if she was in her room. As expected, she wasn’t there.

Plagg was right, I really screwed up. 

he thought. He was the one who rejected her. His love for her superhero side made him blind to the person she really was, the person he only saw as a friend. He felt like a hole of guilt was swallowing him on the inside.

I put her through that pain. Alya even said she was almost akumatized! How would she react if she found out I was the one who did that? 

Being submerged in his guilty thoughts, he was startled when his staff vibrated against his back. He grabbed it from behind him and clicked the screen open. Ladybugs face filled the screen.  
“Yeah?” Chat asked. He threw on a mask of calm to hide the guilty expression on his face.  
“Can you get to Rue Du Sentier in two minutes?” (Rue Du Sentier- a random street in Paris I had chosen by chance on Google Maps. Now you know.)  
“Muggers?” he asked.  
“Yup.”  
“I’ll be there.” he told her. He hung up and took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.

How am I supposed to even look at her as if everything is normal while I know who she really is? 

he thought. He jumped off his lady’s balcony and catapulted himself in the direction of the street mentioned.

He was scouring the buildings on Rue Du Sentier for Ladybug. He spotted her and stealthily jumped next to her. She put a finger to her lips and then pointed to some black-clothed men threatening an old woman in an alley. He counted three muggers in total. He put on his best expression of normality and nodded toward her. He wanted to curl up, clench his fists and shiver from the feeling he was having in his gut but kept himself still and battle ready. Taking a deep breath he took a step back with Ladybug and followed her count.  
“One.” she whispered.  
Two of the men took out weapons as if on cue.  
“Two.” she continued.  
One raised his arm at the woman with a sneer. She shivered and curled up in a protective ball. The other repeated the threat from before, something about money. One said,  
“No silly superheroes to save you now.” with an even wider sneer. Ladybug wore a displeased expression when they said this.  
“Three.” Ladybug said. They ran off the roof and jumped into the alley. Ladybug jumped in front of the woman in a protective stance and Chat Noir took off in the opposite direction.  
“What were you saying about me?” she said with a teasing smirk at the muggers.  
They discussed a strategy that they would use on patrol together. He would independently plan a sneak attack on the opposers and she would protect the victims. He had jumped down the single-story building with a silent thud and stayed behind the wall. He waited for Ladybug’s signal. When the men jumped back in surprise from Ladybugs sudden appearance, Chat took the initiative and extended his baton to swing at them. He extended it just enough and used enough force to get them all on the ground without being hurt too badly, but phased for a while. The woman had already run away and they continued to keep the muggers cornered in the alley until the police came over. (They usually send an alert to the nearest station before attacking. Ladybug had done that before Chat joined her.)  
When the police finally came they were handcuffed and driven away in a police cab. Chat jumped back up to the roof they were on before.  
“Where are you going?” Ladybug asked.  
“Other side of the city. Unless you don’t want me to,” said Chat.  
“No, it’s just…” she sighed. “Can you stay here for a minute?”  
“What’s wrong?” he asked, concerned. He didn’t want to stay there any longer than he had to, for fear he would accidentally call her by her real name, but he still stayed.  
“Come here please.” she requested quietly. He obediently jumped down. Landing in a crouching position and stood up.  
“It didn’t go well did it?”  
“Nope.” she said in a wavering voice. She covered her face.  
“I feel really pathetic right now. It’s not even his fault I feel like this right now. It’s not wrong to like someone else.” she said on the verge of tears. He tried to look as sympathetic as possible, but he still couldn’t help the fact that this was his fault. He felt terrible. He was supposed to make her feel confident. Not like this.  
“Come here LB.” he offered with an arm out. She came over to him and hugged him, and began sobbing.

She said she liked me since I gave her my umbrella. Ever since we became superheroes! Since day one! Yet, I was too stupid to realize that she was right in front of me this whole time. I am such a jerk. 

He just rubbed her back and let her cry. He didn’t allow himself to indulge in her touch like he normally would have done. He was the one who made her feel like this.  
“I am so sorry LB.”  
“It’s not your fault.” she said sniffling.

Yes, it is. It totally is. 100% my fault.

Silence.  
“Chat?” she asked.  
“Yeah?” Her face was still wet but she wasn’t crying. She stayed in his arms though.  
“Why have you stopped calling me ‘m’lady’? You haven’t said it once since we got to patrol today.”  
“Well, you’ve made it clear that you only want to be friends. I don’t want to jeopardize that.”  
“Oh. It’s just a little strange. Like it’s a part of you.”  
“I don’t blame you. I gave you the nickname three years ago.”  
“Heh, yeah.”  
More silence. She let go of him and wiped her eyes.  
“Better?” he asked.  
“Yeah.” she told him.  
They just stood there for a minute.  
“Could we end patrol early tonight? I’m exhausted.” Ladybug said.  
“I can stay out. You head home,” he told her.  
“Are you sure?” she said while yawning.  
“Please, if we can handle akumas together, I’m sure I can handle some muggers on my own.”  
“But it’s Monday.”  
“So?”  
“School. You said you still go to school yesterday.”  
“I do. How about I head home at ten?”  
“Fine, but no later than that.”  
“Deal. You go rest.”  
“Alright. Bye, kitty!”  
“Bye LB.”  
She zoomed off with her yo-yo.

Tikki’s POV  
Her wielder was already in her room and snuggled up under her covers. Tikki was eating her “dinner” of cookies on her desk.  
“Goodnight, Tikki.” Marinette mumbled.  
“Goodnight!” she replied cheerfully. Marinette was asleep within minutes. Tikki knew she was very tired after all that had happened that day. Several minutes later, Tikki was finished eating and snuggled up next to her owner.  
A few hours later…  
Tikki had heard some rummaging around the sheets. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She was under the blanket next to Marinette’s arm. She removed herself from under the sheets and to her surprise saw a light purple kwami with wings by Marinette’s ear. It turned around. Tikki gasped.  
“Nooroo? You escaped from Hawkmoth! But what are you doing here?”  
Nooroo shed a tear.  
“I didn’t escape. I-I’m…” Nooroo sniffled. “I’m so sorry Tikki.”  
Nooroo flew to the other side of Marinette’s head, and she saw he had an earring in his hand. He reached a paw out to the other one.  
“Nooroo! No!”  
He took the earring off.

Nooroo’s POV  
He looked back and sighed when Tikki disappeared. He had to do this. Gabriel’s wife was counting on him. His wielder, was. Which was someone he definitely couldn’t disappoint. He had to do what he was told. He was a mere kwami, and Gabriel, his master. He had already set out the Miraculous box on the girl’s desk. He felt so bad, but there was nothing he could do to help her in his position. He just hoped that this would eventually be over so he wouldn’t have to keep betraying his kind. Kwami can escape from their Miraculous if they are not contained in a Miraculous box or the Miracle box. He brushed his thoughts aside and quickly flew to the Miraculous box that was used to contain and deliver the Miraculous jewels. He carefully put the earring in the velvet slit that held them in place and closed the box. He shed another tear and grabbed the box so he could fly out the window. His guilt for having betrayed his best friend was indescribable. He continued his way to the Agreste mansion and quickly dried his tears when he arrived.

Marinette's POV  
Marinette sat up and yawned. Then looked at her clock. It was 7:30. School starts in 15 minutes!  
“Oh no! Tikki why didn’t you wake me up?” she said.  
No response.  
“Tikki?”  
Still nothing. Marinette gasped.  
“Tikki! Where are you?”  
She looked under her covers, her closet, by her desk, under and in every drawer. She opened the drawer she kept her Miraculous box in.  
It was gone. Marinette pressed a hand to her mouth as she gasped again. She didn’t exhale. She couldn’t breathe. She put a finger to her earlobe. All she felt was skin. Her earrings were gone. Her kwami was gone.  
Ladybug was gone.  
She kept panicking.

What do I do? Tikki needs me. Paris needs me! Chat doesn’t know where Master Fu is! Master Fu! I need to go to Master Fu ASAP! Forget school, anyone could be akumatized right now!

She ran to her closet and quickly got dressed. She combed her hair and left it down. She didn’t have time to do her hair. She went downstairs grabbed a muffin and ran out the door. Her parents told her goodbye but she didn’t hear them. She ran past the school and to Master Fu’s massage parlor. She went inside while the little bell at the door jingled and she peeked through the second door to see if he was with anyone. He wasn’t. Why would he be at this time anyway?  
“Master Fu!” she cried.  
“Marinette what happened? Shouldn’t you be at school?” he asked.  
“Master my earrings! I woke up and they were just gone! I don’t know what happened! I got back from patrol last night and when I woke up they had disappeared!”  
“What!?” he exclaimed.  
“I’m so sorry Master Fu! I’m so irresponsible, but I really have no idea what happened! Please help, I don’t know what to do!”  
“Calm down! This isn’t your fault. Someone might have just taken them. I know what to do but you need to just go to school for now.”  
“Someone might have 'just taken them'? Master this is serious!”  
“I’m well aware of that. Please just go to school for now. There will be a solution when you get home. Just trust me.”  
She nodded slowly and walked out. But she stopped when another thought came to mind.  
“Master?” she asked.  
“Yes, Ladybug?”  
“Did I lose the privilege of using Tikki when I lost her?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“If we find her, will I still be allowed to use her?”  
“Of course! It isn’t your fault she is gone. Just head to school and try to focus on your daily tasks. We will find Tikki and your earrings, okay?”  
She nodded with a confidence she didn’t have.  
“Okay, Master.”  
She left the parlor and went to school.

Adrien/Chat Noir’s POV  
After school…  
Adrien was thinking about how strange Marinette was acting at school that day. She wore her hair down which was super unlike her, and she was barely talking to anyone that day. Was she that traumatized from his rejection? She didn’t want to bother her because he was sure he was the cause of her misery. His guilt was starting to feel like a hundred-pound weight in his stomach. He had no idea what do do about this.  
“Adrien?” Plagg said.  
“Yes, Plagg?” Adrien said. They were in Adrien’s room right now.  
“We need to go.” his kwami said, serious all of a sudden.  
“Wait, what? What’s wrong?” he was puzzled at how serious his kwami was all of a sudden.  
“Get a paper and pen.”  
“Umm, okay?” he got up from his couch and took his notebook out from a drawer in his desk. He got a pen from a cup that held some art supplies. Plagg told him to write down a set of numbers. Adrien was confused.  
“Transform and type this address in your baton.” Plagg ordered.  
“Where does it go?”  
“Where Master Fu lives. His kwami has sent me an emergency message. Something is very wrong. We need to be there as soon as we can.” Plagg’s voice rang urgency, and Adrien knew he wasn’t lying. Plagg was normally so carefree and lazy.

Kwamis can send each other messages? 

Adrien thought. He decided he probably should just ask questions later and get down to business.  
“Plagg, claws out!”  
His black suit covered him and he clicked his music player on and grabbed the piece of paper, then he jumped out the window.  
When he wasn’t in his bedroom anymore he grabbed his baton from behind him and typed in the address like his kwami told him. The tiny screen showed him the directions and he followed. He put the paper in one of his pockets.

He walked into the small parlor and went to a more concealed spot. He willed his transformation away and his kwami flew out his ring.  
“Plagg, what’s going on?”  
“Just follow me,” he said. Adrien sighed and did what he was told. He followed Plagg through another door and saw the short man he knew to be the keeper of the Miraculous looking at him. The man’s green kwami he forgot the name of flew out.  
“What happened? Was Ladybug supposed to come too?” he asked as he closed the door behind him.  
“That’s just the problem.” Master Fu told him.  
“What do you mean?”  
“Her earrings have been stolen.”

Wait, what?!

“I’m sorry, did I hear you, right sir?”  
“Yes. Ladybug’s earrings are gone.”

Of course! How did I not notice? She was so sad because her Miraculous had disappeared. That means she lost her kwami too.

He didn’t know how he would feel if Plagg had disappeared. Plagg was annoying sometimes, but he still had an emotional connection to him. Combined with being rejected by so recently, she must have felt horrible. Knowing this, only added to the huge ball of guilt in his gut.  
“What are we going to do without her?” he said. She was the one who caught akumas, the one who always had a plan. He was just there to help her out.  
“You know who Ladybug is right?” he said.  
“How did you know?”  
“It is my duty as guardian to watch over you both. So I’ll know a lot of things. Do you know or not?”  
“Yes, sir.”  
He opened what Adrien guessed was the Miraculous Box. Master Fu had described it to him when he visited his home the day he and Ladybug fought Siren. He took the box from the hidden compartment and put it in front of Adrien. It had the same red and black pattern as the box he got his ring in. Adrien looked up at Master Fu and he nodded. Adrien opened the box and a dozen other slots popped out of it.  
“That’s… a lot of Miraculous.” Adrien said. He looked at the middle of the box and recognized some of the jewels. The fox, and bee were inside. Where was the turtle Miraculous?  
“Where is the turtle bracelet?” Adrien asked.  
Master Fu lifted his wrist, and there it was.  
“Oh. So what are we going to do about this?” Adrien asked.  
“I need you to go to Marinette’s home. You will be giving her a new Miraculous. Don’t let her know that you know her identity, she gets panicked easily. You will take the fox, bee, and turtle Miraculous to their owners. They will keep their Miraculous until Ladybugs earrings are found. Do you understand?” Master Fu explained.  
“Yes, but there are a few problems with your plan.”  
“I’m listening.”  
“I don’t know who the fox and turtle Miraculous go to, Chloe probably isn’t fit for holding a Miraculous for a long period of time, and Chloe me and Marinette are in the same class. If we keep leaving at the same time when there is an akuma, people may get suspicious.” Adrien said.  
“You make great points Adrien. I have already taken care of the last two problems. Alya Cesaire is Rena Rouge and Nino is Carapace.”  
“What?!”  
Master Fu chuckled to himself.  
“Your kidding. You chose all my classmates to be superheroes?”  
“Marinette chose them.”  
“She’s crazy.”

Crazy awesome.

“She was ordered to give the Miraculous to people she trusts. She was right to give them to her classmates. Now, are you ready to choose a Miraculous for her?”  
“Yes sir.” he said with a sigh. He took a good look at all the Miraculous left over. He asked Master Fu what each one from the Chinese zodiac did (The last twelve Miraculous are animals from the Chinese zodiac. He had to choose from these ones since all the other main ones were taken.)  
He chose the mouse Miraculous (or rat). It granted the power of levitation, swiftness, and the ability to phase through solid objects. He took the bracelet out. He also knew from studying Chinese that the rat represented kindness, resourcefulness, and success. The perfect description of Ladybug. They always won their battles, she used other objects with her Lucky Charm, and she was the kindest person he knew, in and out of the mask.  
“Are you sure about this plan Master Fu?”  
He nodded with an assuring smile.  
Adrien nodded back and left the room. He had no idea why he trusted this man, but he did. He transformed and left the parlor.


	4. Getting the Team Back Together (Tuesday Night)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well...  
> I just did my last state test for the year today.  
> I am so glad the school year is almost done!  
> This chapter, Alya makes some jokes while in costume, causing two certain teenagers to be terribly embarrassed.  
> Have fun reading. :D

Chat’s POV  
Chat had already gone to Nino’s and Alya’s homes to deliver their Miraculous. He had told them to meet him at the roof him and Ladybug always met at for patrol at 9 p.m. (Their highschool) Now, he only had one box left. Marinette’s.  
He took the last few jumps toward the Dupain-Cheng Bakery and took another deep breath. He needed to think of how to word his explanation to her without her realizing that he knew her identity.

Okay. I’ll tell her that her kwami will explain everything and- wait, should I tell her new kwami about the reason why they are being given away?

He looked at the box in his palm.

I shouldn't risk them not knowing, it will probably help for her new kwami to know about the situation

He opened the box. A grayish mouse-like kwami appeared. It had pink eyes and light pink on the inside of its ears. It looked at him and paused. Than furrowed it’s non-existent eyebrows.  
“You are aware of the fact that you are already using a Miraculous, right?” the little mouse said. Chat couldn't tell it's gender, did kwamis even have a gender? It had a pretty neutral voice to him.  
“Actually I didn’t know that, but that’s not why I took you out.” he lifted his hand so the kwami could see his cat-ring.  
“I wield the cat Miraculous. Ladybug’s earrings have gone missing and you will be replacing her kwami until we find it. Whatever you do, do not let her know that I know her identity. By the way, this is by order of the guardian, Master Fu. Understood?” Chat Noir explained. The little kwami nodded and retreated to its necklace. Chat closed the box and jumped down from the roof behind Marinette’s balcony. When he was on it, he walked over to the hatch and knocked.

Here goes.

He shifted his head to see through the window. She was at her desk with her head down. He invited himself inside and went down the stairs to her room stairs. He tiptoed to her location and saw she was sleeping on her homework. There were some wet tissues next to her tablet. 

Poor girl, she cried herself to sleep. She lost her kwami and was rejected yesterday. I don’t know how I would feel if Plagg was gone. 

His giant hole of guilt was about to swallow him again and he had to work harder to focus.  
Not wanting to wake her up, he got an idea. He got a sticky-note from her supplies and used a pen to write a note.  
Once he was satisfied with his letter, he put the sticky note on the box and climbed back up the stairs to leave. He climbed through the glass window and jumped off the balcony to hurry back home.

Marinette’s POV  
Marinette yawned and stretched from her desk chair.  
“Tikki what time is it?” she asked the air.

Oh, I forgot. It’s so lonely now… Why did I lose her?! This is all my fault.

Tears filled her eyes again and she quickly got a tissue to wipe them away.  
"Tears are not going to get her back, Marinette." she said to herself.  
When her vision was clear again, her eyes landed on a small box in front of her, with a very recognizable pattern.  
“What the-?” she began.  
She didn’t believe her eyes.

Tikki?! Are my earrings in there? 

she thought. She saw the note attached and read it.

Dear Marinette,  
Ladybug has lost her Miraculous. Therefore, we’re getting all the superheroes together, Rena Rouge, Carapace, Queen Bee, and me, Chat Noir to make up for her disappearance. The box on your desk is the Miraculous of the Mouse, and yes, there are many other Miraculous out there.  
I know I have only known you for a while but I’m entrusting this Miraculous to you.  
When you open the box you will meet a floating creature we call a kwami, which you will take care of. Your kwami will explain the rest.  
We are meeting at this address tonight at 9 p.m.,  
12345 Not Fake Street (Just pretend that's the address of their high school.)  
See you there princess, and please use your power wisely!  
Sincerely, Chat Noir

P.S.- Please stay aware that this is temporary and you will need to give the Miraculous back when Ladybug’s Miraculous is found!

Her eyes had tears again, but not sad ones.

Even if I’m not Ladybug, I can still fight with him, Alya, Nino, and Chloe! Chat is amazing. I really do have the best partner I could ask for, even if he doesn’t know I’ll be with him.

She vowed to herself that the first thing she would tell him when she got her earrings back was that he was the best partner she could ever have. She opened the box. A light pink ball of light appeared and revealed a mouse like kwami. There was a necklace inside. The kwami had dark pink eyes, light pink on the inside of its ears, a mouse tail, whiskers, and light gray skin all over.  
“Hello! Don’t be scared, I’m your new kwami, Mullo.” the gray creature told her.  
“I’m not scared at all.” she giggled. “I know you’re supposed to tell me how to use you, but let me tell you something important first,”  
The kwami nodded. Marinette put the necklace on.  
“I was previously Ladybug, I’ll even tell you the name of the kwami if you don’t believe me. The thing is, my earrings have been stolen, and Chat Noir, the wielder of the cat Miraculous, visits my civilian form sometimes, although he doesn’t know I’m his partner. This note here says that he is entrusting this Miraculous to me. It’s kinda funny how he doesn’t even know I used to be Ladybug, but now I can use a new Miraculous and still fight alongside him. You have no idea how much of a relief this is.”  
Mullo smiled.  
“It’s an honor to work with you Ladybug. My favorite snack is swiss cheese, but I can recharge with just about any food. I believe you, but as a kwami, it’s a requirement that I know you are telling the truth about this. Tell me everything you know about the guardian and your old Miraculous.”  
“My old kwami was Tikki. She is red and has three black spots on her so she resembles a Ladybug. She also has antennae and three tails, and she is the kwami of creation. I also know that the black cat and ladybug Miraculous work in tandem and are best used together. The guardian of the Miraculous is Master Fu. He is a short Chinese man and guards the Miraculous. He wields the turtle Miraculous and his kwami is Wayzz.”  
“Very good,” Mullo said with a nod and a smile.  
“I know kwami don’t have a gender. You have a pretty neutral voice though, do you prefer male or female pronouns?”  
“Male. By the way, what is your name, master?”  
“Marinette. You don’t have to call me ‘master’ though. Tikki never did that.”  
“Understood Marinette. Are you ready to know about your powers?”  
Marinette looked at the time, it was already 8:30. She had been taking occasional naps to make up for late night patrolling lately, but she still had to do her homework. She said,  
“Let me finish these last few problems. The note says I have to meet the others somewhere at nine p.m. so we need to hurry. Do you know anything about physics?”  
“I know a little bit. I'll do what I can to help you though,” he said with a glowing smile. They finished her homework around ten minutes later and Mullo explained the mouse Miraculous powers.  
Her tool was a jump rope, she would have a smartwatch-like tool on her wrist for making calls, and the jump rope could be used as a whip. If she needs to, she would be able to use the rope to wrap around poles and such. It wouldn’t contract like her yo-yo, but she could swing herself. The mouse Miraculous is very swift. It boosts running ability and allows you to levitate. The special power was to become ghostlike for 3 minutes and lets you go through things and people. Then you transform back in 5 minutes like normal. You say, “Fantome!” to activate it (That means something in French. Go to Google Translate.) Five minutes had passed when he was done explaining.  
“We should head out early, what do I say to transform?” Marinette asked.  
“Mullo, whiskers on.” he told her.  
“Got it. Are you ready?” she asked.  
“Always.” he said with a nod.  
“Mullo, whiskers on!" Mari said.

Chat and Rena Rouge were there before her. She wasn’t surprised that Chat had picked her school as the meeting place since it was their patrol spot as well. She had also detoured from behind the bakery and went down a street or two so no one would see her leave her bedroom. That would be an obvious hint to her identity. She jumped and landed on the roof.  
“Hey, Chat!” she greeted.  
He turned around and he viewed her transformation. She wore buns in her hair with pink and gray ribbons, resembling ears. Her entire suit was light gray except for light pink V-shaped bands on her stomach, forearms, and calves, facing downward. It was simple but catching. She had a light pink jump rope with pink handles on the left side of her waist.  
“Hey, princess! Nice suit by the way. Did you see Queen Bee on your way here?”  
“No, sorry.”  
Rena was staring in confusion.  
“Is she replacing Ladybug? I didn’t know there were other Miraculous. What’s your name?”  
“No one can replace a superheroine like her. I haven’t thought of a name yet but I wield the mouse Miraculous.” she said.  
“You have no idea how many Miraculous there are. But the amount that is in circulation right now is dangerous, therefore, we must find Ladybug’s Miraculous as soon as possible.” said Chat.  
“By the way Chat Noir, why did you call her ‘princess’?” Rena said with an eyebrow raised.  
“A nickname, don’t worry we’re just friends,” he replied casually.  
“You know what I find kind of funny?” Rena asked.  
“What?” Chat Noir said.  
“You gave the mouse Miraculous wielder a pet name, cat.”  
“So?”  
“Well maybe the cat just got a little hungry you know?” and she began snickering. Chat started blushing furiously.

What in the actual fuck is going on in her head?!

Marinette thought. It was a rare occasion for Marinette to truly be mad at her best friend, but Marinette got infuriated whenever her jokes were about her and doing things with guys. Especially Adrien. She had never thought of how that would go with Chat Noir though. A terrible heat pricked at her cheeks and her face looked so red the color rivaled her old suit. Marinette almost slapped herself for the thought. She decided to scold Rena instead. “Rena! What are you thinking?! I’m sure he had some other reason for choosing the mouse Miraculous for me!” she said. Rena just kept laughing.  
“What she said.” Chat said while covering his face. Mari was confused at why he of all people was so embarrassed. He usually brushed off a situation like this with a pun or flirt at her, but she wasn't Ladybug right now. The gray superheroine just groaned at Rena.  
“What happened?” someone said behind them. It was Carapace.  
“Nothing you need to hear about!” Chat blurted while uncovering his face.  
“Okay?” Carapace replied slowly. Queen Bee still wasn’t here. Chat checked the time on his staff.  
“Where is that bee?” he asked out loud. Carapace shrugged his shoulders.  
“Who is the new one?” Carapace asked pointing at costumed-Marinette.  
“A new holder to help us, she hasn’t thought of a name yet.” said Chat while putting his staff away.  
“I got it!” Mari said while snapping her fingers.  
“Got what?” Carapace asked.  
“My superhero name. How about Souris? (Google Translate!)”  
“That’s purr-fect, princess.” Chat said.  
“Thanks, kitty- I mean, Chat! Thank you, Chat.”  
“It’s okay. I don’t really mind the nickname anymore. You can call me that if you would like.”  
“Oh, are you sure?”  
“Paw-sitive.” (Oh my lord, I love his puns.)  
“Okay.” she said with a nervous laugh.  
“What are your powers? And is your Miraculous the watch or the necklace?” Carapace asked.  
“The necklace. I can act like a ghost for 3 minutes. Go through walls, levitate, etcetera.”  
“That’s great! Very useful.” said Carapace. A flash of yellow swung by and landed on the roof they were standing at.  
“I’m here!” she chirped. “Wait a minute, who’s this?” Queen Bee said snottily.  
“One of us. She wields the mouse Miraculous.” Rena explained.  
“About time. Now I can explain what’s going on in more detail. Alright, guys I know I didn’t tell you guys much when I visited earlier, but I was in a hurry. Identity stuff. Anyhow you all should know the reason you’re here by now. You all know how to care for your kwami’s right? Pollen, Wayzz, Trixx,” he pointed to each hero as he named their kwami. “And, what was yours?” he asked Souris.  
“His name is Mullo. He looks like a mouse of course.”  
“You know how to take care of it right?”  
“Yes, you feed it a certain snack so it can renew its energy.”  
“Does yours eat camembert?”  
“Camembert? Camembert cheese?”  
“Yeah, you know, the smelly stuff.”  
“He eats swiss cheese. Why do you ask?”  
“Well, my kwami eats nothing but smelly camembert cheese. He refuses to eat anything else. So now I have to smell like a cheese factory every time I go out with him.” he said with a small pout. Souris giggled.  
“I’m sorry to hear that.”  
“Alright, back to business. Just so you all know, you need to turn in your Miraculous whenever Ladybug’s Miraculous is found. We won’t be able to catch akumas on our own so we’ll have to contain them for now. But we need to figure out how. Any ideas?”  
Souris hadn’t even thought about that. How would they get the akumas without Ladybug?  
“Don’t worry guys. You know how the turtle is a protective Miraculous right? I have a unique power for emergencies that my kwami told me about. When an akuma is loose, I can capture it by wrapping my hand around it. Then an unbreakable coating will surround it and keep it inside until it can be purified. It goes into my shield for storage, but it can only hold about 60 akumas. It will work for now.” Carapace explained.  
“That’s perfect! Now that we have that taken care of, we need to devise a plan for getting Ladybug’s earrings back.” Chat said. He continued,  
“First things first, we need to figure out who took them. Any ideas on where we should start looking?”  
“Wasn’t Ladybug the one who always had good ideas?” Rena Rouge.  
“Right? She always knew what to do.” Carapace agreed with a sigh.  
“What about her family? Friends?” Queen Bee suggested. (Chloe being useful for once!)  
“Her family? Why would they do that?” Souris asked. 

My parents would never do that!.. wouldn't they?

“Well, they might have figured her out and took them because they didn’t want her to get hurt from being, well, a superhero.” Chat explained.  
“You make a good point,” Souris replied.  
It was definitely a possibility. Had she been too obvious around them?  
“Even if it was her parents, we don’t know who they are. Do you know Ladybug’s identity yet Chat Noir?” Rena Rouge asked.  
“I- uh, no! I don’t.” he said visibly nervous. The others didn’t seem to take notice of the way he responded though. Although Souris did. She knew the only way to test their theory with her parents would be to tell them who she was. Well, at least one of them.  
I’m sure I know Chat out of the mask. But, does he already know who’s under my mask? Well, Ladybug’s?  
“Ch-chat?” she stuttered.  
“Yes?” he turned his head to her. Strangely enough, she had his full attention.  
“Could we talk at my house after this?”  
“I suppose. Any other ideas guys?”  
“Hawkmoth?” Rena suggested. Souris shivered at the thought of Hawkmoth, of all people, being in possession of her earrings.  
“That’s a scary theory, but very possible.” Chat said nervously.  
“Why would it be scary? In fact, why do we have to keep the Miraculous from him anyway?” Queen Bee asked. Chat sighed. Souris realized that Chat and Ladybug haven’t explained the ultimate power thing to them yet. Does Chat even know about that though? He should, he wouldn’t have given me the Miraculous if he hadn’t seen Master Fu. He has to know, right? “If any one person has both the Black Cat and Ladybug Miraculous, that person will be granted ultimate power. The kind that shapes reality, the universe as a whole. If Hawkmoth has Ladybug’s earrings, then he will have already obtained half of that ultimate power. Your jewels, don’t work the same way, but we should avoid him receiving yours' too because he can still be a much stronger enemy with any of those Miraculous working with the butterfly. He must never get his hands on our Miraculous. Ever.”  
They were all stunned by his explanation, but they all nodded in understanding. They were already aware of their responsibility, so knowing this was easier to take in at the moment. Queen Bee yawned and said,  
“Could we all head back though? It might be good to absorb the new information with some rest.”  
Chat nodded.  
“Get some rest guys. Be back here tomorrow at the same time. Have a good night.”  
Carapace nodded and ran off, Rena jumped into the night and Queen Bee used her spinning top to zoom away. Chat looked at Souris and said,  
“Lead the way, princess.”  
“Oh well, umm?” she took the jump-rope off her waist and looked at him.  
“Need some help?” he asked sympathetically.  
“Sort of.”  
“Let me see.” he offered a hand to her and she gave the rope to him. It was nice seeing the more helpful side of him. Instead of the one that was always flirting, and showing off to her. He skipped a few jumps with it and said,  
“Nifty. Maybe you should try throwing at a pole or something. If it wraps around, you can use it to swing around maybe?”  
“That’s what my kwami told me. I decided to jump the roofs here instead but tripped on a few tiles,” she said trying to make herself sound like a beginner.  
“Ouch. Well, you can jump for now and we’ll figure out this rope thing later. I’ll make sure you don’t trip again. Come on princess.” he said. He gave her the rope and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. Their eyes were locked on each other’s for a minute, but Souris didn’t look away.  
“Let’s go.” she agreed with a smile. She jumped ahead and he followed, just like when she was Ladybug.  
She was glad he made something familiar while using a tool so foreign to her, even if it was unintentional.

Chat’s POV  
He continued to jump to his lady’s house. They were soon at her balcony and he waited for her to de-transform. She said,  
“Whiskers off.”  
“Hold on, whiskers off? That’s adorable!” Chat said with a grin.  
She shrugged and smiled as her suit fell away. Her buns were released by the ribbons and her hair was down again. She hadn’t even changed into her pajamas yet. The little kwami he saw a few hours ago appeared and he instantly fell in love.  
“He’s just too cute. What’s your name little guy?” he cooed, rubbing his head with a clawed finger.  
“I’m Mullo. I wouldn’t expect a cat to be so fond of me though. Most of my days with Plagg are spent by him chasing me down.” he said.  
“I can too if you want.” Chat joked.  
“Ha, no thanks, Marinette makes a good superhero though don’t you think? I made her look good didn’t I?” the kwami said patting himself in the chest  
“She looks great as a superhero actually. Good job little buddy.”  
“Who is Plagg?” Marienette asked.  
“My kwami. He resembles a cat of course. What did you want to talk about?” he asked her.  
“Well let’s go inside first,” she replied.  
“As you wish.” he said. They opened her hatch and they climbed down the stairs. When they were inside, Marinette sat on her chaise and she patted her hand next to where she was sitting, inviting him to sit with her.  
“What’s wrong, princess?”  
“I was just wondering, do I know you out of the mask?” she asked. That’s when it occurred to him that when he told Ladybug yesterday that he was friends with Marinette after fighting Inferno, he had told her much more about her then Marinette had told her as Chat, She has most likely had the suspicion since then that he knew her as a civilian.  
Might as well be honest.  
“Heh, umm well... yeah. Was it that obvious?”  
“A little. I know you probably wouldn’t have given a Miraculous to a stranger. I have one more question though.”  
“Shoot.”  
She paused for a minute. She mumbled,  
“How do I word this?”  
Another moment of silence.  
“Okay, do you know who I was the day before I got this Miraculous?”

Oh, crap. She thinks I know who she is. What do I say?!

“Yourself?” he said pretending to be confused.  
She paused. He knew she was thinking of another way to word the question. He braced himself for another lie to add to his hundred-pound weight of guilt.  
“Do you know who Ladybug is? You didn’t sound so sure earlier when Rena Rouge asked earlier.”  
I can’t do this anymore.  
“Sort of?” he said looking away from her. She waited for her reaction. Mullo was looking at him with a concerned expression from a distance.  
“Wait, what?! For how long?” she said nervously. He felt his cloth ears flatten against his head, which only added to his look of shame.  
“Since our last patrol together.” he sighed.  
“How?” she looked devastated. He didn’t know how she would react if she knew he had found out before she was ready. Now he knew, and he wasn't ready for her to know that he knew either, but he couldn't bear lying to her at her own expense.  
“Look, I found out that you and Ladybug were rejected on the same day and connected the dots with all the other proof I had and I just found out on my own, okay? I didn’t even do it on purpose, it just happened. Yes, we know each other in real life, but please don’t try to figure out who I am.” he rambled.  
Silence.  
“Are you disappointed it was me?” Marinette asked. Chat looked at her like she was insane.  
“Are you joking? I’m thrilled that you were Marinette! You’re perfect, princess. You are kind to others in and out of the mask, always are so creative and full of ideas, and we used to be friends. I’m glad that you are Ladybug.”  
“I’m not Ladybug any more.” she said gruffly. “Do you really mean all of that?” she said looking up.  
“Every single word.”  
The way she smiled at him when hearing this was like seeing the sunshine for the first time. He had no idea how much he was in love with her until now. She embraced him. He let himself relish in her touch this time, feeling a slight blush creeping up his neck.  
“Thank you, kitty. But what did you mean when you said we used to be friends?”  
“You would never look at me the same if I told you.” he said letting her go.  
Her smile faltered, and he almost changed his mind.  
“I guess you don’t have to tell me if it’s risking your identity but thanks for cheering me up, kitty.”  
“Anything for m’lady.” he said while smiling softly. Marinette sighed.  
“Anything, huh?” she said.  
“Mostly.” he said knowing what she would ask of him next.  
“Could you at least tell me how we ‘used to be’ friends then?”  
“Trust me, you don’t want to know." he said with a faraway look on his face. "I was wondering, any tips on being the new leader of the group? I don’t think I’m doing so great.”  
“You’re doing fine, actually. Well, I always search for the weaknesses in the opponent first and tell-”  
“Ladybug, I meant on leading the team. How do you do it? You were able to tell everyone what to do when we fought Catalyst and Hawkmoth for the first time.”  
“I-I don’t know how I do it, I just… do it.” she sighed, “Tikki knows all about leadership.”  
“Tikki? Is that your kwami?”  
“Yeah. It felt so empty when I realized she was gone.”  
“Do remember how they got lost? The earrings?”  
“I know they didn’t get lost, so they were probably stolen. I went to bed after patrol and when I woke up, my earrings were gone, even the box my Miraculous came in disappeared. I was so excited when I saw the box for the mouse Miraculous, happy that I’d still be able to fight alongside you and the others.”  
“That was Master Fu’s idea. Although if I was given the choice and didn’t know your identity, I would still have picked you.”  
“You must have really trusted me out of the mask, huh?”  
“I did,” he paused, “and I still do.”  
“So if you know me, you must know Alya, Nino too right? I know you're already friends with Adrien.”

Crap! Please don't investigate any further, Marinette.

He pleaded in his head.  
“Mari, you said you wouldn’t,” he said nervously, obviously avoiding the subject.  
“Oh yeah, sorry. Well, curiosity killed the cat, right?”  
“You're a mouse, but satisfaction brought it back.” he said with a wink. Mari giggled and rolled her sapphire-blue eyes. Chat's heart melted at the sound, right then and there.  
“Uh-huh. Did you choose the mouse Miraculous on purpose?” she teased.  
“I swear it was an accident! Master Fu was telling me the abilities of all the other Miraculous, and that one just seemed the best. Plus the rat actually represents success, resourcefulness, and kindness on the Chinese zodiac. This one describes you perfectly.”  
“You really put a lot of thought into this didn’t you?”  
“Everything but the Cat and Mouse part. I didn’t even realize that until Rena joked about it.  
“That’s actually a bit funny, looking back.”  
“Rena’s joke?” he said incredulously. He felt the redness coming up his cheeks again, but kept it hidden. Marinette failed to do the same. He almost enjoyed seeing her blush, as terrible as the joke was.  
“W-w-what? O-of course not! I was talking about how you coincidentally chose this Miraculous for me!” her face was red as a tomato now.

My god, she's stuttering. Why on earth does she have to be so adorable?

he thought.  
“Oh s-sorry.” he squeaked out. He was trying desperately not to laugh or tease her.  
“It’s okay, kitty.” she said with a kind voice. The blush on her face disappeared.  
“Hey, I was wondering, how do you slip past Alya, being Ladybug and all? She seems so keen on noticing little things about Ladybug, yet she has never had the thought that you would even be the spotted superheroine.”  
“I honestly have no idea how she hasn’t noticed. Although there was one close call. Remember when I dropped that tenth-grade history book the day we fought Pharoah?”  
“I went crazy over that. I follow the Ladyblog from Alya’s akuma alert page of course, but I also do it partly because, well, you know.” he admitted. He knew that she knew that he was obsessed with Ladybug, but he didn’t want to say it out loud.  
“Don’t worry I get it. I have gotten used to everyone obsessing over little details about me, and fans all over Paris. Anyhow, I somehow managed to steal the book back by the end of the day. She was ranting about how all she needed to do to unveil Ladybug was find out which girl from our grade lost her history book the day before. I was terrified!”  
“Good job getting it back. By the way, was there any other reason, why you didn’t want anyone to know who you were besides from it being our duty?”  
“Umm, yeah. I would be devastated if anyone else found out.”  
“How come?”  
“Well, as I have told you as Ladybug, I’m just a simple girl. There really is nothing special about me Chat, yet every citizen in Paris knows my name. Well, Ladybug’s name. I don’t think I deserve that kind of attention.”  
“Why not? You’re a great designer, an amazing friend, sweet, kind, you name it. I could give you this speech a thousand times over and never run out of words to describe you. Both sides of you are a great person. Just the fact that you are Ladybug makes you even better.”  
“That is… very sweet of you Chat.” she said sincerely. He stood up from the chaise.  
“I should go now. Get some sleep okay?” he said with a hand on her shoulder. He had no idea why he touched her shoulder so often, but it seemed to make her more at ease, so he continued to do so.  
“I will. Have a good night, Chat Noir.” she replied.  
“You too, princess.”  
He climbed up the stairs to her balcony and opened the hatch. He climbed out and closed it gently. Then leaped off into the night.

Marinette’s POV  
She was stunned when he left. Chat had never been like that before. She hoped that she would be seeing this side of him more often though. She had no idea he was capable of being so sweet and kind. She was even surprised when he didn’t flirt with her at all when she was Souris when he knew that she was Ladybug  
“Hey Mullo?”  
“Yes, Marinette?” he replied.  
“I...” she started.  
“What is it?” he asked.  
“I had no idea he was even like that. I’ve rejected him so many times as Ladybug, yet he still continues to be my friend and partner to this day.”  
“The boy loves you Marinette. You should make a move.”  
“What?”  
“Don’t you like him?”  
“No, I don’t. But he knows that I was rejected by my crush the other day, so he is just trying to be friends. Except, it’s so obvious that he wants to be more than that. I almost feel bad about it.”  
“Well, he knows your free and available, but still respects the fact that you just need some space. I think he makes a great friend.”  
“I know. That’s why I’m so surprised. I have always trusted him with my everything, but now I feel like I could talk to him about anything. Except that, of a sudden, I’m the one who wishes I could know my partner's identity. Before he found out I was Ladybug, he took any chance he could to tell me about him and his personal life or know about mine. Now he’s so… to himself about it. Like I was.”  
“Oh. I’m sorry I can’t really know how all this feels. Tikki is a much more comforting kwami.”  
“It’s okay. It’s still nice to talk about it with someone. I really miss her though.”  
“We will find Tikki. I promise.” Mullo swore. Marinette nodded and got her pajamas. She went to the bathroom to change while her kwami waited outside. When she got out she said,  
“Tikki would normally sleep with me, but where would you like to sleep?”  
“Can I sleep with you? Kwami are most powerful when they have a connection with their wielders. I know that you and Tikki have a very strong bond."  
“Sure. But would that affect my bond with Tikki?”  
“It won’t. You and Tikki have been together so long that it’s difficult to break a bond like yours. Nothing will happen if you sleep with me, but do what’s comfortable for you.”  
“Let’s sleep together then. It feels more familiar.”  
“Okay,” Mullo said cheerfully. They went to her bed and snuggled under the covers.  
For the first time in days, everything felt okay for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am trying to do a chapter a day, but I actually only have this many chapters written and I will have to start writing more often.  
> Which means I have to proofread the chapters too.  
> That also means I was lying when I said I was "almost done drafting" the entire story.  
> Ughhhh, I'm sorry okay? This is a lot of work sometimes.  
> It's almost summer and I will have a four-day camp too, but the date I start is pretty far from now. After that, I should be able to update more often.


	5. Animal Noises (Tuesday Night, Wednesday Morning)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We check up on Tikki and watch what happens when two teenagers tease each other in while in costume. :>

Tikki’s POV  
It had been a full day already. Tikki had been stuck in a glass container inside her earrings. It was spellbound and Tikki couldn’t just send a telepathic message when she was dormant. It also kept other kwamis from detecting her. Not being dormant while having no wielder tires a kwami the way it does after a wielder transforms. Since no one was wearing the earrings and she wasn’t retreating, she was exhausted by the end of the day. She had only been helplessly yelling at her captor to let her out and turnover the butterfly Miraculous. She had cried real tears when she found out that Hawkmoth, was indeed Gabriel Agreste. She had tried to convince him to stop by telling him to think about what his son would think of him doing this. He simply ignored her saying that he wouldn’t find out. But she knew that he was looking for her this very moment, as Chat Noir or Adrien. That she would soon be found, and Hawkmoth would be defeated. She only went back to her jewels after Gabriel left his lair, and got ready for another day of protest.  
Marinette’s POV  
Marinette woke up to the sound of a knocking noise on her skylight. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Then she got up to see what the noise was. She walked over to the stairs that lead to the window.

A bird pecking the glass? Kids throwing stones? What could that even be?

When she got to the top she saw none other than Chat Noir peering down at her.

Is this a dream? What is he doing here on a school day?

She opened the window.  
“Chat? What are you doing here? Don’t you have to school?”  
“I was about to ask you the same question,” he said. He opened the screen on his baton and showed it to her, She saw that it was 7:30.  
“Oh, I didn’t set my alarm yesterday. Thanks for waking me up, but is there anything else you came here for?”  
“Oh, could I be of service to you?” he said with his eyebrow raised.  
“No. Just wanted to help you if there was anything you needed from me. To return the favor.”  
“Not really, but thanks for asking. I’m supposed to be at school soon as well though. Bye, princess.”  
“Bye kitty.”  
She closed the hatch and watched her partner hop away, and wondered as she went down the steps,

How did he know when to wake me up?

She decided to ask him later and got dressed and ready while her kwami was still sleeping at her desk. When she was ready to go, she tucked the sleeping kwami in her purse and went downstairs to her fridge. She snuck a wheel of brie into her back-pack and dashed to the door.

This will have to do for now.

Adrien’s POV  
He was glad he could do his lady a favor, although Plagg was complaining that he deserved to be fed more often for the untimely visits Adrien was making a habit. He decided against it and ignored his kwami so he could get ready for school.  
“Adrien, I’m serious! If you are going to continue these spontaneous visits at Marinette’s, you should at least feed me before you do so!” he said. He was starting to sound sincere to Adrien. Plagg looked up at his wielder with those big green, emerald, kitten eyes with his pupils dilated, and Adrien panicked.

No, no, no, not the kitten eyes! Agh, but I can’t risk harming the poor thing!

“Fine, but no more cheese than necessary. That stuff is expensive.” he gave in.  
“Oh thank you, Adrien!”  
Plagg nuzzled him on the cheek and Adrien smiled. He loved making his kwami happy, especially when he did that. Adrien and Plagg had become much closer in the last month or so, and he couldn’t be gladder that his kwami was finally opening up to him.  
The only downfall was that Plagg had developed special tactics to bribe Adrien into feeding him cheese, but he didn’t mind.  
He finished getting ready for school and opened his bag for his kwami to fly inside. He ran out of his room, rushed down the stairs, and ran out to the driveway to meet his bodyguard in the car. His bodyguard didn’t say anything about him being 4 minutes off schedule.  
As he was being driven to school he peeked into his bag to check on his kwami and saw him nestled in his blue nest of scarf, the one he believed his father gave to him. He smiled to himself and pulled his phone out to tell Nino that he would be a bit later than usual, but still on time. He sent the text and tucked his phone back into his bag.

Marinette’s POV  
Marinette was in her classroom, pencil in hand. As Marinette pondered more over her physics work, she realized something.

If Alya is Rena Rouge, Nino is Carapace and Chloe is Queen Bee, how will we ever get out of class without raising suspicions? If we get an alert, we will have to leave at the same time.

As if fate was asking the same question, she felt her phone buzz against her lap. She eyed the teacher and slipped her phone out from her pocket. She kept it under her desk as she turned it on and typed in her password. She opened the akuma alert page on her browser through Alya’s blog. (Her friend had added this feature recently, it allowed other citizens to post an alert by contacting the police and if the police force confirmed it, it would be posted on the blog. It was actually Marinette’s idea and after Alya suggested the system to the city council, it was official.)  
There was indeed an akuma but before Marinette could even raise her hand, there was a beep on the intercom,  
“Attention students, an akuma alert has been issued and you may go home if it feels necessary. Please contact your parents or find a safe place to hide. Classes will resume when the akuma is neutralized.”  
Some other students traded looks and got up to leave. Most were glad to have an excuse to leave class, but the rest were still confused by the message from the office. The school usually only let them leave when the akuma was nearby. No matter, Marinette was able to leave to transform and she wasn’t going to complain. The other students left and Marinette was out of the classroom in a jiffy. She knew that Nino, Alya, and Chloe would probably go for the bathrooms first, so she hid under an empty classroom’s desk. She opened her bag and whispered,  
“Mullo, are you awake?”  
Her kwami groaned and rolled onto its side. It opened it’s adorable pink eyes and looked up at its owner lovingly.  
“Time to suit up?” he asked.  
“Yeah but you haven’t eaten yet,” Marinette said. She pulled a slice of brie out of her bag and offered it to her kwami. The kwami took it and happily munched. He was done in three bites.  
“Woah there, don’t eat to fast! We will get you some swiss after school okay?”  
“That’s fine. Ready to go, Ladybug?”  
Marinette nodded.  
“Mullo, whiskers on!”  
She looked to her side and saw that there were some windows in the classroom.

Luck is on my side today.

she thought happily. She smiled to herself and pried a window open, then left the room through it. When it was closed, she used her rope to wrap around a flagpole at the top of the building. She climbed up the building using the rope as support and sat down when she got to the top. She knew that she couldn't just jump into battle and wait for Chat like she normally would since she was unable to catch akumas now. She heard soft steps behind her, and something grabbed her shoulder.  
“Eek!” she said. Her shrill voice sounded more like a squeak than an anonymous noise she would normally make. She reached behind her and grabbed whatever was holding her shoulder, she was holding a person in the air and they were thrown to the floor of the roof. A black-suited mop of blond hair was on the ground in front of her. Souris gasped. “Oh my god I am so sorry!” she said. He looked up at her from the ground and grinned. He said,  
“You're adorable, and my hunch was correct,”  
“What?” Souris said.  
“You squeak when you're startled, like a mouse!” he said.

Crap I did do that. He is going to tease me about this forever.

Chat’s POV  
“Are you serious? You scared the hell out of me Chat!” she said angrily.  
“Hell out of you? I only knew you had heaven in you,” he said, looking up at her with a devilish grin. He could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. He kept teasing, “Your even cuter when you're angry,” he said with a chuckle.  
“Are you asking for a death wish?” she said.  
“I’d like to see you try.”  
“So what if I told you I heard you purr in the freight train when we fought Prime Queen?”  
His grin faded immediately and he looked away to hide the blush on his face.  
“I never did that!” he said in denial.  
“You so did that!” she teased with a grin.  
“You heard wrong.”  
“Want to test that?”  
“Bring it on.” he challenged.  
She put a hand on his head and scratched him behind his cat ears. He felt like something was stuffed down his throat and needed to come back up. He covered his mouth, completely unprepared for the rumble that came out. He. Was. Purring. And he didn’t know how to stop it. He could hear muffled giggles from Souris. She moved her hand to the other ear and he couldn’t resist it anymore. He let the sound rumble out of him without holding back. It felt so good. He let himself lay back down on the ground and Souris went down with him so she could continue.  
“Good kitty.” she teased.  
“Please don’t stop.”  
“We have to wait for the others anyway. We can’t fight without Carapace to catch the akuma.”  
He heard muffled laughs from behind them. Souris turned around. Chat stayed where he was. Then, the voice burst into uncontrollable laughter.  
“He purrs?! Am I hallucinating?” Carapace said.  
“Nope. He can totally purr.” Souris said with a smirk.  
“You can stop now.” Chat said nervously.  
“No way! The others are totally going to see this!” Souris said maliciously.  
“No! Princess please,” he begged. He was about to pull away but then she scratched his head harder, with both hands.  
“Nooooo,” he complained, although he was obviously enjoying it. He couldn’t go away from her now. He was stuck.  
“Rena has to see this!” Carapace said while snickering.  
“What is friendship?” he said through the rumbling noise his throat made. He still was incapable of moving away from her hands. The scratching radiated pleasure through his whole body.  
“I’m telling the others what you do if you don’t stop.” he threatened.  
“I don’t care. They are going to tease you more about it,” she told him.  
“Are you guys dating?” Carapace asked.  
“No. But we have actually been friends for some time. I just like teasing him.” Souris replied. Chat ignored him. Carapace said,  
“Rena won’t take that excuse.”  
“It’s not an excuse. We’re seriously just friends.” Chat said. His words were distorted because of the noise he made.  
“Sure you are,” he said sarcastically.  
“They are going to think we’re dating if you don’t stop.” Chat warned.  
“As long as I know the truth,” she said.  
“You're not even going to deny it?” "I don't know..." she said. She stopped scratching his head.  
“You like the idea of dating me princess.” he teased while wiggling his eyebrows. She just rolled her eyes.  
“No, you like the idea of me liking the idea,” she said, unfazed.  
“Carapace, you better not tell anyone about this.” Chat said while getting up.  
“Don’t worry, I will.” he said evilly. Carapace wasn’t going to be swayed. Chat sighed.  
“The others probably already took off. Let’s go find the akuma.” Souris said.  
“Let’s go.” Carapace agreed. Chat nodded and Souris stood up to leave with them.

One akuma fight later…  
“You ready for the funniest thing in your life?” Souris said.  
“What is it?” Rena asked. Queen Bee was about to buzz off, but Carapace asked her to stay.  
“Watch this,” Souris said. She reached a hand toward Chat’s head and he stepped back.  
“Here kitty, kitty.” she said with a smirk. She held her hand out to him to wave him towards her. Chat’s eyes glinted with opportunity.  
“Nope.” he said pulling his head away. He smirked back. He grabbed the hand she was holding out quite firmly and moved behind her. He took the hand with him.  
“Eep!” her shrill voice squeaked. He let go of her hand and chuckled.  
“Did she just…” Queen Bee mumbled.  
“Oh my god! That’s adorable! She can squeak just like a mouse. Can we make noises too?” Rena said. There wasn’t a single bit of tease in her voice. Chat was beginning to think Souris was right about them not teasing her as much.  
“Time for my long-awaited payback kitty,” she said with a playful grin.  
“No thank you.” he said nervously. He took another step back, and Souris stepped forward. He took his baton out from behind him and used it to put himself in the air while balancing on the ground. He was several feet above the rest of his team now.  
“Can’t get me princess.” he said.  
“Are you sure?” she challenged.  
“Yup.” he said positively. She smirked at him again and put a hand to his baton, (That was not supposed to be what it sounded like but feel free to laugh anyway.) and pushed it forward. He started to fall.  
He was too startled to react and he knew it was too late to go back now. His princess was going to get her payback, no matter what he did. He was still familiar with how stubborn she was as Ladybug.  
But that’s what he loved about her.  
He was falling and he was caught by his princess. (How ironic, he is falling for her!) She scratched his head before he could squirm away from her.  
“No, no, no! Please don’t!” he begged. She was lowering him on the ground while scratching behind his ears. The purr from before came rumbling out of him again. He just lowered his arms and gave up.  
“I am so getting back at you for this.” he said, struggling to make his voice even through the purr, but failing.  
Carapace was laughing again and Queen Bee was snickering with Rena. After all, the look on his face was priceless.  
"He can purr? That's hilarious!" Rena said. “This is what you get for scaring me earlier.” Souris scolded.  
“It was worth it. Now I can tease you about it later,” Chat said with a shit-eating grin.  
Souris just sighed. After a minute or so, their other teammates were done laughing and Souris’ hand retreated.  
“We should get back to… wherever we are supposed to be right now. Bye guys!” Souris said while walking away. The other’s hurried off. Chat was walking away from the building and picked his baton up where it was left so he could leave.  
“Kitty?” Souris asked. He turned around.  
“Yes, m’lady?”  
“My house? Tonight?”  
“For what?”  
“This thing…” she pulled her jump-rope off her waist. Amazingly, she had gone the entire battle without it. She had only used it earlier as means to get to the roof, but she didn't know how to do much else with it.  
“I’d love to help you learn the ropes.” he said. Souris cringed.  
“Thanks. No more scaring me though,” she said. Chat grinned mischievously.  
“Not a purr-oblem, princess.”  
“Alright then, see you tonight.” she said in dismissal.  
“Don’t miss me!” he said with a wave. He catapulted himself away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was a little short! Thing is, I have to catch up on the schoolwork I missed on the day I did state testing, and I am starting to feel sick with minor headaches. Also, this was posted at two in the morning due to my binge-writing. Therefore, I will be taking a minor break.  
> And my arms hurt like hell right now for who knows what reason.  
> Anyhow, thanks for reading and I look forward to your feedback lovelies!


	6. Unveiling (Wednesday Night)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More shit plot, here we come!  
> Adrien finds out how much of a horrible father he has.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while! I am currently a week behind on schoolwork and today was my mom's birthday, so I was a little busy. This chapter is a bit short but I just want to make sure you all know I still exist. Thanks for waiting lovelies!

Adrien’s POV  
“Hey, Plagg?”  
“Yeah, kid?”  
“How did you know that we had to go to Master Fu when Ladybug’s earrings were lost?”  
“Wayzz sent me a telepathic message.”  
“Could you send one to Tikki then? Maybe ask her where she is?”  
“I have already tried that, something is blocking the connection. I bet whoever captured her knows that we can communicate that way, so they used a spell to keep her from contacting us and vice versa.”  
Adrien was thinking. A few moments later, he said,  
“It's pretty unlikely, but there is only one other person besides from Master Fu who would know how to create a spell like that.”  
“Hawkmoth?” Plagg asked. “Pretty much.”  
Plagg looked at the time and flew off to munch on some cheese. It was most likely dinner time for him.

Plagg’s POV  
Plagg was wondering how Hawkmoth would even know how to make a spell like that. That kind of information was only found in the grimoire.  
At that moment, a horrible realization came to him.

Hawkmoth, the grimoire... Besides from Master Fu, only one person he knew had the grimoire.

Oh no.

Plagg abruptly flew out of the cheese cabinet. Adrien turned from his computer.  
“Plagg? What’s wrong?” his chosen asked.  
“Adrien, can you stay here for a minute? I need to check something.”  
“Sure?” he said as if it were a question. Plagg flew off. He phased through the bedroom door and phased below the ground to stay hidden. He went to Gabriel’s office, and Plagg heard him talking to someone. He was still underground.  
“Are you sure this is the right thing to do Master?”

Nooroo’s voice!

“It will be the perfect bait for Chat Noir and his team,” Gabriel responded.  
Plagg was under a couch in his office when he peeked his head out. He saw the unmistakable purple wings of the butterfly kwami. Gabriel was walking toward the painting of Emilie.  
“Is this really necessary to get your wife back?” Nooroo asked.  
“What other way do you propose Nooroo?” Gabriel said in a fierce tone. Nooroo flew back, eyes wide in fear. He bowed his head apologetically.  
“That’s what I thought. Let’s go check on Tikki. We can’t starve her.” Gabriel said. Nooroo nodded in silent agreement. Plagg grit his teeth (I don’t know if kwamis even have teeth, but pretend he does)

He has Tikki! He had fought his own son and akumatized all these other people for his own benefit! Just so he could get his wife back, he put everyone else's lives at risk, even his son’s!

It took all of Plagg’s self-control not to fly out and cataclysm his chosen’s father. Gabriel put his hands to his wife’s portrait and maneuvered his hands around it. As if he found what he was looking for, he pushed his fingers down on a set of triangles on the dress his wife was wearing in the portrait, and a hatch opened below him. It began lowering him to an underground floor. Plagg narrowed his eyes and phased under the ground again. His eyes widened at what he saw.  
A room full of white akumas, fluttering about. Everything was dark purple. At the front of the room was a large white window with a butterfly pattern. White akuma’s were crowded at the middle of the room, concealing a tall container.

Hawkmoth’s lair.

Plagg thought. Gabriel emerged from the floor of the room. Nooroo still had his head bowed. Gabriel walked over to the container and the akumas flew away. Plagg gasped.  
Tikki was inside the glass, lying down with her eyes closed. She was frail and looked very weak. Plagg’s heart stopped.

He better not lay one filthy hand on her.

Plagg thought. He felt his anger bubbling up inside him, and didn’t bother pushing it down. He flew upward, phasing through the floor again, and went back to Adrien’s bedroom.

Adrien’s POV  
Plagg was back in his room. He looked **so** angry.  
Adrien staggered back in surprise.  
“Who stole your camembert?” Adrien asked cautiously.  
“Nobody. How much longer until patrol?” he growled.  
Adrien shuddered.

What made him so angry?

Adrien thought. Adrien looked at the clock.  
“50 minutes. What happened?” Adrien said.  
“I discovered something horrible. You won’t like it either. We need to go to Marinette’s.” Plagg replied.  
Adrien was still confused but figured it was important. He stayed submissive and said,  
“Plagg, claws out.”  
He locked his bedroom door and ran to Marinette’s balcony. He was there in a few minutes. He looked around to make sure no one was watching. Satisfied with what he saw, he knocked on her balcony’s hatch. Marinette looked up from her bed, then unlocked the hatched and moved to the side of her bed so he could come in.  
“Hey kitty.” she greeted.  
“Hey,” he replied. He didn’t try to hide the grim look on his face. Marinette took note of this immediately.  
“What’s wrong?” she asked.  
“My kwami told me to come here. He discovered something really bad.”  
“Oh?”  
“I don’t know what it is, but he is really angry because of it. I can go in your closet or something while you talk to him if you want.” Chat said.  
“It’s okay. Hide under this.”  
She tossed him a blanket from her bed. He covered himself and said,  
“Claws in.”  
Plagg looked at Adrien when he was out of the ring. His eyes were filled with, sorrow?  
“Plagg, can you tell us what happened now? Why did we need to come here first?”  
“Because both of you need to hear this,” Plagg responded.  
He phased through the blanket, and said,  
“Is Mullo with you?”  
“Mullo? Come out please.” Marinette said.  
Adrien heard her kwami fly out.  
“This better be important, Plagg!”  
“It is, Mullo.” Plagg said in a flat tone.  
“Seriously?” Mullo asked skeptically.  
“Yeah,” Plagg confirmed.

Marinette’s POV  
“What happened, Plagg?” Marinette asked.  
“I know who Hawkmoth is.”  
Marinette stared in disbelief. Chat gasped under the blanket.  
“W-what?” Marinette stammered.  
“Who?” Chat’s muffled voice said.  
“Does he have Tikki?” Mullo asked.  
“Unfortunately, yes. He has Tikki.”  
“That's great! If you know who Hawkmoth is, then we can find Tikki!” Mullo said. But Marinette knew there was more to it than that.  
Mullo squeaked in excitement. Chat remained silent.  
“It’s not that simple,” Plagg said while shaking his head.  
“Why not? Who is he?” Chat asked.  
“Keep quiet kid, you will be most surprised when I tell you.”  
“Okay?” Chat said. Plagg sighed,  
“Gabriel Agreste.”  
There was a very long moment of silence. Chat coughed. Mullo was confused.  
“I don’t know who that is.” Mullo said. Plagg whispered something in Mullo’s ear. Mullo covered his mouth, and tears welled in his eyes.  
“His f-father?” Mullo said.  
Plagg nodded solemnly.

Hold on, his father?

Marinette gasped.  
“Adrien?”  
“Shit.” the blanket mumbled. Marinette lifted the blanket, revealing a crying Adrien.  
“My father… this whole time.” he croaked.  
Now she knew why he didn’t want to tell her who he was.  
He was the one who rejected her.  
But now that they knew his father was Hawkmoth, it didn’t matter to her. Marinette’s heart flooded with compassion.

He must feel terrible right now.

Marinette thought. She held her hand out towards him, and he took it. They stood up and she hugged him. Adrien nuzzled her head.  
“I am so sorry princess,” he said. She put a hand in his golden hair and stroked it.  
“It’s okay kitty. I forgive you.”  
“I feel like an idiot. I rejected you for yourself.”  
“It’s alright. We were blinded by love,” she told him. She felt just as guilty. She had rejected Chat countless times because of her love for Adrien.  
“You were almost akumatized,” he said.  
“It’s not your fault, chaton. We will get my earrings back, and we'll laugh about this later on. This will all just be a bad memory.” she said. She continued to hug him until all he stopped sniffling. Marinette let go of him to get some tissues. She brought him a box. Plagg flew over to Adrien and nuzzled him on the neck and purred. Adrien held his kwami there. Marinette offered a comforting smile. Adrien wiped his face with his other hand and blew his nose.  
“I can’t believe it. I had been fighting my fashion idol for years. Can you believe the ridiculous costumes he gave the akumas?” Marinette joked. That got a laugh out of her partner.  
“It’s really funny looking back. We have spent so many patrols looking for clues when he was at my house this whole time!”  
Marinette laughed. She looked at the alarm clock on the shelf above her bed.  
“We have to go in ten minutes. Do you want me to cover for you?”  
“It’s okay. I need to let the others know the news. Besides, I still need to help you ‘learn the ropes’” he requoted. Marinette giggled.  
“Let’s go, kitty-cat.” she said while playfully hitting him on the shoulder. He grinned,  
“M’lady, are you hitting on me?”  
Marinette froze, her face turning red. She was very accustomed to Chat flirting with her, but she was stupefied by Adrien doing so. Adrien smirked, knowing exactly what he did to her. He leaned very close to her face.  
“What? Chat got your tongue?” he asked suggestively. Marinette squeaked. Adrien went back and chuckled.  
“You're too easy. You even squeak out of costume.”  
That gave Marinette an idea. She threw her hand on his head and began scratching again. He put a hand to his mouth, but it was no use. He started purring softly. Mullo and Plagg laughed at him and Marinette giggled and rolled her eyes.  
“You're too easy, Adrien.” she teased. In response, he leaned on her and said,  
“That feels amazing.”  
A blush painted her face again. He looked up at her with his emerald green eyes.  
“I am sure it does kitty,” she said.  
“We need to go to patrol bug.”  
“I’m too comfortable.”  
“We only have five minutes.”  
Marinette sighed.  
“Mullo, whiskers on.”  
“Plagg, claws out.”  
Chat’s purr was much louder when he transformed. Souris stopped petting him and climbed to her bed. His purr faded and he followed her to the window. She opened the hatch and waited for him to climb out but he said,  
“Ladies first.”  
Souris nodded with a smile. She climbed out.  
“By the way kitty, don’t flirt while we are fighting or at patrol. This needs to stay a secret until we get my earrings back.”  
Chat nodded. He climbed out and he said.  
“We will have to do the rope thing later, until then…” he paused and smirked once more. He grabbed her by the waist and took his staff out from behind him. Souris squeaked, but then rolled her eyes.  
“Chat, I can get to the other side of the street by myself.”  
He ignored her. He used his staff to catapult them off the balcony and towards their high school. Souris sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He jumped again and landed on the roof of their high school. He let Souris down. Luckily, the others weren’t there yet.  
“Chat?” she asked.  
“Yes, princess?”  
“Should we tell the others that I am Ladybug?”  
Chat paused.  
“Let’s keep it a secret for now.”  
“Alright then,” she concluded. She sat down legs crossed in front of her. A few minutes afterward, everyone else was there. Queen Bee was looking at her nails, not seeming to care that they were covered by her suit.  
“I have some news guys.” Chat started.  
“Good or bad?” Carapace asked.  
“Both,” he replied.  
“We’re listening.” Queen Bee said.  
“I know who Hawkmoth is,” he said. That got their attention.  
“What?” Rena said.  
“How?” Queen Bee asked.  
“Do you have proof?” Carapace asked.  
“I can’t provide proof because it would be an obvious hint to my identity. But I have my kwami’s testimony.”  
“Who is it then?” Queen Bee asked. Chat sighed.  
“Gabriel Agreste.”  
They all just stared at him, dumbfounded.  
“W-what about Adrien?” Carapace said. The three of them exchanged looks of disbelief. Rena and Queen Bee seemed to have the same question. Souris noticed Chat’s slight change in posture at their question.  
“He’s the Luke Skywalker in this rip-off Star Wars plot, Hawkmoth being the imitation of Darth Vader.” Chat responded.  
Souris would have laughed at that if they weren’t talking about something so serious.  
“So what was the good news?” Rena asked.  
“Hawk- err, Gabriel has the earrings.”  
They all were silent again, but not from surprise. The three were taking in the reality of the situation: that their friend’s father had stolen a powerful object and that the same person was a well-known supervillain. They didn’t know how to react to their current situation.  
“Souris, why have you been so quiet?” Rena asked, breaking the silence.  
“I have already heard about all of this,” she said quietly.  
Another pause.  
“So what do we do now?” Carapace asked.  
“Make a plan of course. Would you like to start Chat?” Souris said.  
He nodded.  
“For starters, we need to retrieve the earrings and return them to Ladybug so she can help us. Gabriel will obviously notice that the earrings have gone missing, so we will eventually have to face him the same day he realizes that.”  
“So we get the jewels, return them to Ladybug, and face Hawkmoth for the final showdown.” Queen Bee summarized. Chat and Souris nodded.  
“But we don’t know who Ladybug is.” Carapace said.  
“I do. I know I said I didn’t a few nights ago but I do. I will return them and next akuma attack we will plan how we will finish Gabriel.”  
The others nodded, as well as Souris.  
“Back to patrol than.” Chat said. Chat grasped his staff from behind himself and opened the screen.  
“I’ll head North. Carapace?”  
“I’m feeling West,” he said.  
“Queen Bee?” Chat asked.  
“Uhh, East?”  
“Souris, come with me. Rena, you got South.”  
The fox nodded.  
“Call if you need help. Come back in an hour and we will switch directions. Good luck.”  
The other three nodded and went in their assigned directions to patrol. Chat and Souris jumped off the building in their direction but stayed where they landed. They waited for the sound of their teammates' footsteps to fade.  
“We have to tell them I'm Ladybug when we get my earrings.” Souris said.  
“I know. And I still don’t know how we’ll get them.” Chat sighed.  
“Sneak in his house and steal them?” she suggested.  
“At night time. How about at tomorrow's patrol?”  
“Sounds like a plan, minou. Let’s get going.” Souris said.  
He nodded with a small smile, and they were off.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy  
> It's been a while.  
> We have a final chapter count now. Thank you to everyone who has followed through with me on this story. People who have bookmarked, left kudos comments or just read the story are really appreciated.  
> Thank you for being so patient with me, despite my very long break.  
> Enjoy!!

An evil laugh filled the room at dusk.

 

"They think they have already won the game. Silly kids, so naive. Fly my little akuma, and evilize him!"

 

Mullo's POV

 

The rest of patrol was quite peaceful, besides from a a few thieves. The group did meet up later and decided that the night was quiet enough. So, they were sent home by Chat Noir.

 

Marinette was getting dressed and ready, while Mullo ate a slice of swiss cheese.

 

"Everything that happened last night is still so surreal." Marinette said with a sigh.

 

"It really wasn't a dream was it?" she asked.

 

"Everything that happened the night before really happened." Mullo confirmed.

 

Marinette paused. She really had thought it was just a dream

 

Her eyes widened and she grasped her head.

 

"That wasn't a dream! Chat Noir is Adrien! Chat Noir has been sitting in front of me in class for almost three years and I didn't even realize it! They both are the same height, have the same voice, blonde hair, green eyes, and I didn't notice a thing!"

 

"Marinette." Mullo said.

 

"Alya even showed me a picture of Adrien colored black so he looked like Chat Noir and I stayed in denial. I am such an idiot!"

 

She gasped in breath to continue her rant.

 

"And I have rejected him so many times. He probably hates me now!

 

"Marinette." he repeated.

 

"We won't be able to work together and we won't get the Butterfly Miraculous and I'll never get my earrings and Tikki-"

 

"Marinette!" he shouted.

 

Her mouth snapped shut as she realized she was ranting and she gave him her attention.

 

"Calm down! Chat Noir doesn't hate you. You guys were working together just fine last night. He cares about you enough to forgive you for rejecting him. Like you said last night, you were blinded by love. It's okay that you didn't recognize him sooner." Mullo soothed.

 

Marinette nodded, them lowered her head. "Sorry."

 

"It's alright. You were just over-analyzing the situation. Relax a little okay?" he said with a paw to her cheek.

 

Marinette nodded again and went back to getting ready. She went downstairs to get her lunch and came back up to get Mullo.

 

"Done eating?"

 

"Yep! Let's go." Mullo said.

 

She opened her school bag and he slipped inside. He sat in front of a notebook. He felt Marinette stepping downstairs.

 

"Bye, Maman!" Marinette said. He felt Sabine's hand on the bag while she hugged his charge.

 

"Bye sweetie, have a great day!"

 

"You too!"

 

Marinette went to the front counter.

 

"Bye, Papa."

 

Tom squashed her bag, as well as Mullo, as he hugged Marinette. He squeaked softly in surprise, but not loud enough for anyone to hear.

 

"Bye sweetheart, good job on not being late."

 

"Well I'm not late yet. Have a good day!"

 

Mullo heard her kiss his cheek.

 

"You too." he said.

 

The bag rocked back and forth as she left the bakery. The door jingled as it opened and closed and Mullo waited a few steps before coming out. Then, Mullo unzipped the bag a little and wriggled through the small hole it made.

 

"Your dad is a strong hugger!" he said

 

"Very. It makes me feel safe." Marinette replied.

 

"It makes me feel squished!"

 

Marinette giggled.

 

"Sorry. You can go in my purse next time."

 

Marinette had walked in the building, bustling with teenagers. Mullo went back in the bag.

 

He felt the swaying motion once more as she walked into the locker room.

 

She took the bag off while saying hi to some people and the bag zipped open. Mullo flew out of it.

 

Mullo was inside a locker and the bag was hanging on a hook now. There was still a lot of kids nearby so he went to the corner of the metal box. Marinette took her purse out of her school bag as well as some folders, notebooks, a pencil and her tablet.

 

Marinette opened her purse for him to go inside and he went in.

 

The shiny golden balls clicked together, leaving a sliver of light peeking in the purse. Mullo was laying on soft pink fabric. Next to him was some spare keys, a pen and some change.

 

He loved being in her purse. The fabric was so cozy and made him sleepy when she walked.

 

She was walking again while speaking to her friend Alya. He found out she was her friend yesterday. The sound of the many other kids talking alongside her lulled him to sleep.

 

Marinette's POV

 

It was the afternoon, and the next class was lunch. Marinette was in Social Studies right now. Marinette raised her hand and the teacher called on her.

 

"May I use the restroom, Madame?"

 

The teacher nodded.

 

Marinette stood up and left the classroom. She walked across the court and went inside the bathroom.

 

As soon as she closed the bathroom door she heard a strange voice.

 

"Marinette?" it cooed.

 

"W-who is that?"

 

No answer.

 

"Marinette?" it asked again.

 

"What is it? Who are you?!"

 

She was looking all around her omitting one direction.

 

Up.

 

All the stalls were open. No one was in there it seemed. She began to panic.

 

Her mind was screaming at her to transform, but she couldn't while Mullo was sleeping or if someone was actually in there.

 

She heard a thud behind her, the sound of feet falling on the floor. But before she could look back, something covered her face. She shrieked as everything turned black.

  


Adrien's POV

 

Marinette, his lady, had went to the bathroom thirty minutes ago, and still hasn't came back. A few other student had noticed as well and had kept looking back at the door to see if Marinette would come back in. Alya looked the most nervous. Adrien wrote something down in his notebook, pretending to be taking notes on the lecture.

 

It read: Ask the teacher if you can check on Marinette.

 

He passed it to Alya while the teacher looked back and she raised her hand. The teacher paused in the lecture.

 

"Yes Alya?"

 

"Miss, Marinette has been gone for thirty minutes now. Could I go check on her?"

 

The teacher nodded.

 

Alya walked to the front of the room and opened the door to leave.

 

Adrien sighed in relief as the door closed. She was probably fine, Alya would have her back in no time.

 

Around two minutes later she came back.

 

Without Marinette.

 

She had a really panicked look on her face. The teacher looked back at her, worried.

 

"Madame, Marinette wasn't there. There was graffiti on the wall that said, 'Ravisseur was here'. It might have been an akuma!"

 

Everyone gasped.

 

"Adrien, go to the office and tell them to warn the rest of the school that there was an akuma here, and to investigate the bathrooms. Class, evacuate from the school!" she said.

 

 _Are you kidding? I need to transform and find Marinette myself!_ he thought.

 

"Yes, Madame." he replied. He buried his worry for Marinette so he could focus on telling the office to evacuate the school and transforming.

 

After letting the office know, he ran to the boys bathroom as the intercom sounded.

 

"Students, teachers and staff, an akuma has been to our school and evacuation is required. Please leave the school and go home immediately. Your parents will be notified. School is dismissed for the rest of the day."

 

By the time the announcement finished Adrien was already transformed and investigating the girl's bathroom along with some other staff. They looked a little surprised that he was there but continued investigating.

 

"Could one of you guys tell me everything you know about the situation?" he asked.

 

"A student named Marinette Dupain-Cheng was in this bathroom. She didn't come back to her classroom and another student reported this graffiti along with the information that Marinette was MIA." a man provided.

 

Chat Noir nodded and said, "Thank you sir."

 

A minute later Carapace and Rena were in the bathroom with him. Even Queen Bee came, despite her disregard for Marinette.

 

"Why are we looking for this one civilian when we could be fighting the akuma?" Queen Bee whined.

 

As annoying as she was being, he really was being silly by looking for clues here. The akuma was targeting Marinette and they should be booking for her, not clues. If they were going to get the Ladybug Miraculous today, they needed Ladybug of all people with them.

 

Chat sighed and said, "We aren't finding anything here guys. Let's start looking for the akuma somewhere else."

 

"Sure thing dude, but should we wait somewhere for Souris before looking?" Carapace asked.

 

Chat paused. He hadn't thought about that.

 

"Come with me to the roof guys, we need to talk."

 

They followed Chat out of the bathroom outside the building and to the roof of the school.

 

Chat took a deep breath. He grabbed his baton and opened the screen to check for any akuma reports.

 

Nothing. This akuma took Marinette and only her. Something was very wrong.

 

"I probably shouldn't be doing this but, there are no reports of an akuma, and I am pretty sure this wasn't a sick prank from the school. The akuma only targeted Marinette and no one else. The thing that has me worried is, Marinette is the person I chose for the Mouse Miraculous. Something is very wrong."

 

"Hold on, Marinette is Souris?" Rena asked in a hushed tone.

 

"Yes, and we need to find her!" Chat said urgently.

 

Queen Bee just stared at Chat with her mouth ajar, and Carapace was muttering curses under his breath.

 

"I think I know what's wrong." Carapace said.

 

They waited for him to continue.

 

"Hawkmoth probably knows who she is, and is using her as bait. Whether she's bait or not, we need to go find her regardless. If anything, she is probably with Gabriel. Most unfortunately, this means he has three Miraculous in his possession."

 

Queen Bee's mouth was closed now. Rena looked like she would throw up and Chat didn't know how to feel.

 

But he could only think of one thing.

 

His father abducted the love of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you just love cliffhangers? :P  
> See you next chapter, sorry this one was a little short.
> 
> My apologies for taking so long to learn to use rich text. This is my first time posting on this website.


	8. Hi! (I still exist)

I have no excuse whatsoever for how long I haven't updated this.

But... the good news is, you now know that I am still alive and haven't been abducted by aliens. 

Anyhow, I reread my whole story. Now that I have seen it with new eyes, I have noticed how amateur this work is. Things like typos, ways I could have improved the flow of certain scenes or helped them make sense more, and just the lazy proofreading I did stood out more than ever. Luckily, I have a solution, and here is what I'll do. I am going to just start fresh on this work and  _actually_ plan out the ending of the story (as well as repost every chapter rewritten and proofread). When I figure out how I will go about the ending, I will delete this heap of garbage and redo it all.

I am so, so sorry for neglecting this work and not updating for so long, but at least you all will finally receive the refined version of the story. All of the original plot will be preserved, but just tweaked a little where I think it could be better.

One more thing, if you guys have suggestions for how any part of the work so far could be rewritten, or even an ending that you would find satisfactory, please,  _please_ tell me in the comments! I am always open to suggestions when it comes to my writing, especially since I am a beginner, so feel free to leave your ideas in the comments.

Thank you to everyone to has still given this story in the making love. Your comments, kudos and bookmarks mean a lot to me! See you all soon in Chat et Souris 2.0!


	9. This work is being orphaned!

I am releasing a revised version of this work on my account here. Lookup:  _MoonDiva21590,_ that's my username. The new version is called _Chat et Souris 2.0._ At the time this is posted, only some of the chapters are rewritten and posted there.

If you want to know, I have orphaned this work so that I can still access this work on AO3 but not have it on my account. Thanks for reading this notice!


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